The city of Hamburg has seen significant regeneration in the past decade. In an effort to rid the city of its faintly sleazy reputation, as home of the Reeperbahn and the stag do delights it contains, a whole new district – HafenCity – was established with plans for modern shops, homes and entertainment venues. The most prominent of the latter was the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, an extraordinary structure that cost €789m, more than three times its initial budget.
But as new buildings rise around town, the solid old pillars of their football club crumble. For the first time since the Bundesliga was established in 1963, Hamburger SV have been relegated to the second tier. Hamburg were the only side to stay in the division for that whole time, earning them the nickname Der Dino: not even Bayern Munich, who came up in 1965, had boasted such a lengthy continuous run among the German elite. A clock at their Volksparkstadion home proudly displayed exactly how long they had been in the top flight: that will be reset.
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