Berliner Fussball Club Dynamo e. V., commonly abbreviated to BFC Dynamo () or BFC (), alternatively sometimes called Dynamo Berlin, is a
German football club based in the locality of
Alt-Hohenschönhausen of the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to:
Places
* Lichtenberg, Austria
* Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France
* Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany
* Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany
* Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany
* Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany
* Lichte ...
of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. The team competes in the
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
, the fourth tier of
German football
Association football, Football is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association ( or ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (ro ...
.
BFC Dynamo was founded in
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in 1966 from the football department of sports club
SC Dynamo Berlin
The Sports Club Dynamo Berlin was an East German sports club that existed from 1954 to 1991. It was the largest sports club of SV Dynamo, the sports association of the security agencies. The club was reformed after German reunification and succe ...
. BFC Dynamo established itself as a top-team in the
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga (English: ''East German Premier League'' or ''GDR Premier League'') was the top-level association football league in East Germany.
Overview
Following World War II, separate sports competitions emerged in the Allied-occupied G ...
in the mid-1970s. Supported by extensive
youth work
Youth work is a community support activity aimed at older children and adolescents. Depending upon the culture and the community, different services and institutions may exist for this purpose. In general, it provides an environment where young pe ...
, BFC Dynamo eventually became one of the most successful clubs in
East German
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...
football.
BFC Dynamo is the record champion in East Germany, with ten consecutive
league championships from 1979 through 1988, under coach
Jürgen Bogs. In 1989, the team became the first and only winner of the
DFV-Supercup.
BFC Dynamo renamed FC Berlin during ''
Die Wende
The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...
''. One of the largest hooligan scenes in Germany was formed around FC Berlin.
Young FC Berlin-supporter Mike Polley was killed by German police during football riots in
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
in 1990. FC Berlin just narrowly failed to qualify for the
2. Bundesliga in
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
. The club lost the equivalent of two complete teams in players to other clubs in the first one or two years after the fall of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
.
FC Berlin struggled in
re-unified Germany and never progressed beyond the third tier of German football. The club took back its old name Berliner FC Dynamo in 1999.
BFC Dynamo suffered a financial crisis in 2001 and eventually became
insolvent
In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet in ...
. The club's supporters played an important part in saving the club from bankruptcy.
The insolvency proceedings were brought to a positive conclustion in 2004 and the club consolidated in the
NOFV-Oberliga Nord
The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of the former East Germany and West Berlin. It covers the States of Germany, German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a ...
. After an undefeated season in the NOFV-Oberliga Nord under coach Volkan Uluc, the team finally won promotion to
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
in 2014.
BFC Dynamo has since established itself as a strong team in the Regionalliga Nordost and a major competitor in the
Berlin Cup. In 2022, the team won its first
Regionalliga
A (, plural ) is a regional league in numerous Sports governing body, sports governing bodies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of the sports leagues.
The term is often associated with the Germa ...
title, under coach
Christian Benbennek. BFC Dynamo saw the biggest increase in membership of any club in Berlin in 2021, apart from
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...
and
1. FC Union Berlin.
By 2023, the club had finally managed to win back the rights to its previously lost traditional crest. During the
2023-24 season, BFC Dynamo reported its highest attendance figures since 1990.
BFC Dynamo plays its home matches at the
Stadion im Sportforum. The club enjoys a traditional cross-city rivalry with 1. FC Union Berlin. The rivalry with Union Berlin is part of the
Berlin derby. BFC Dynamo has won recognition for its
youth work
Youth work is a community support activity aimed at older children and adolescents. Depending upon the culture and the community, different services and institutions may exist for this purpose. In general, it provides an environment where young pe ...
. Since 2003, the club also operates an award-winning day care project for local children.
The club is based in the
Sportforum Hohenschönhausen
Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, officially named Sportforum Berlin, is a multi-purpose sports complex in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen of the borough of Lichtenberg, Berlin, Lichtenberg in Berlin. The Sportforum was also known as the Dynamo- ...
. The sports complex is the location of the club offices, the clubhouse and the youth teams.
History
Background: SC Dynamo Berlin (1954–1966)
BFC Dynamo
Berliner Fussball Club Dynamo e. V., commonly abbreviated to BFC Dynamo () or BFC (), alternatively sometimes called Dynamo Berlin, is a German football club based in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen of the borough of Lichtenberg of Ber ...
started as a football department of sports club
SC Dynamo Berlin
The Sports Club Dynamo Berlin was an East German sports club that existed from 1954 to 1991. It was the largest sports club of SV Dynamo, the sports association of the security agencies. The club was reformed after German reunification and succe ...
. SC Dynamo Berlin was founded on 1 October 1954 as one of the new elite
sports clubs
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
in East Germany. The sports club was affiliated to
sports association SV Dynamo
The Sportvereinigung Dynamo () (''Dynamo Sports Association'') was the Sports associations (East Germany), sport association of the security agencies (Volkspolizei, Stasi, Ministry for State Security, fire department and customs) of former East ...
.
The new sports club SC Dynamo Berlin became a center of excellence () of sports association SV Dynamo. In order to establish a competitive side in Berlin, the team of
SG Dynamo Dresden and its place in the
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga (English: ''East German Premier League'' or ''GDR Premier League'') was the top-level association football league in East Germany.
Overview
Following World War II, separate sports competitions emerged in the Allied-occupied G ...
was transferred to the new sports club SC Dynamo Berlin. The relocation was designed to give the capital a team that could rival teams from
West Berlin
West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
, such as
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...
, which were still popular in
East Berlin
East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
.
Among the players delegated from SG Dynamo Dresden were
Johannes Matzen,
Herbert Schoen and
Günter Schröter. The team played its first match as SC Dynamo Berlin on 21 November 1954 against BSG Rotation Babelsberg in the
1954-55 DDR-Oberliga. Most players of the former SG Dynamo Dresden team had aged by the late 1950s.
The team was now instead shaped by a new generation of players, including
Martin Skaba,
Werner Heine,
Waldemar Mühlbächer,
Hermann Bley and Konrad Dorner. SC Dynamo Berlin won its first trophy in the
1959 FDGB-Pokal. However, the team was not allowed to participate in the
1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup
The 1960–61 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup club football tournament was won by Italian club Fiorentina in two-legged final victory against Rangers of Scotland.
Organised by the Mitropa Cup committee, this tournament's edition was rec ...
. The
East German Football Association () (DFV) decided that local rival and league runner-up
ASK Vorwärts Berlin was a better representative.
SC Dynamo Berlin had some success in the first two seasons of the 1960s. The team finished runners-up in the
1960 DDR-Oberliga and reached the final of the 1961-62 FDGB-Pokal. However, SC Dynamo Berlin found itself overshadowed in the capital by the
army-sponsored ASK Vorwärts Berlin. The team of SC Dynamo Berlin during the 1960s would eventually prove relatively weak. By the end of the
1962–63 DDR-Oberliga, SC Dynamo Berlin had become a lower-table side.
Founding and rise (1966–1978)
East German football was reorganized in 1965–1966 when the football departments of ten sports clubs (SC) were made into ten designated
football clubs
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
(FC). As part of this reorganization, the football department of SC Dynamo Berlin became football club Berliner FC Dynamo. BFC Dynamo was founded on 15 January 1966.
Manfred Kirste was elected club president and the SV Dynamo President
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (; 28 December 1907 – 21 May 2000) was a German communist official who served as head of the East Germany, East German Ministry for State Security (''Ministerium für Staatsicherheit'' – MfS), better known as the Sta ...
was made
honorary president.
The new designated football clubs were formed as centers of excellence in East German football, with the right to draw on talents within designated geographical and administrative areas.
BFC Dynamo was initially assigned
Bezirk Cottbus
Cottbus was a Administrative divisions of the German Democratic Republic, district () of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The administrative seat and main town was Cottbus.
History
The district was established, along with the othe ...
and one third of East Berlin as catchment area.
BFC Dynamo was officially a club of the Ministry of the Interior and the club's official sponsor was the
Volkspolizei
The (DVP, German for "German People's Police"), commonly known as the or VoPo, was the national uniformed police force of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1945 to 1990. The Volkspolizei was a highly- centralized agency re ...
.
However, Honorary President Mielke was the head of the
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...
and BFC Dynamo would eventually come to receive personal, organizational and financial support from the Stasi.
BFC Dynamo was relegated to the second-tier
DDR-Liga
The DDR-Liga (English: GDR League or ''East German League'') was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the second level of football competition in the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik or German Democratic Republic, commonly East Germany), bei ...
in
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
and subsequently began a rejuvenation of the team. The team eventually dominated the 1967-68 DDR-Liga Nord and immediately won promotion back to the DDR-Oberliga. Among the talented players from the youth department who were integrated into the first team in the late 1960s and early 1970s were
Harald Schütze,
Norbert Johannsen, Peter Rohde,
Frank Terletzki, and
Bernd Brillat. BFC Dynamo reached the final of the 1970-71 FDGB-Pokal. The team lost the final 1–2 in overtime to SG Dynamo Dresden, but qualified for the
1971-72 European Cup Winners' Cup as runner-up.
The Ministry of Defense decided to relocate
FC Vortwärts Berlin to
Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...
ahead of the 1971–72 season. BFC Dynamo and
1. FC Union Berlin were from now on the only major football clubs in East Berlin.
BFC Dynamo was allowed to take over the catchment area in East Berlin that had previously belonged to FC Vorwärts Berlin.
The team would also get the opportunity to play more matches at the larger and more centrally located
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark
The Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the western part of the Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Prenzlauer Berg in the Boroughs and localities of Berlin, borough of Pankow in Berlin. The sp ...
in
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right ...
, which led to increased interest in the club and growing attendance numbers.
BFC Dynamo stood out among other teams within SV Dynamo. The team was located at the frontline of the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. It was also a representative of the East German capital. This meant that the club had to be well equipped.
BFC Dynamo would get access to a nationwide scouting network, which included numerous training centers () (TZ) of SV Dynamo across East Germany.
BFC Dynamo would eventually be able to recruit young talented players from 38 training centers (TZ) across East Germany for its youth department. By comparison, 1. FC Union Berlin only had access to 6 training centers (TZ) in the Berlin area.
The team was joined by
forward Wolf-Rüdiger Netz from
SG Dynamo Schwerin in 1971. BFC Dynamo made its first appearance in an
UEFA Competition in the
1971-72 European Cup Winners' Cup. The team reached all the way to the semi-finals. BFC Dynamo thus became the first team from Berlin to reach the semi-finals in one of the two most prestigious UEFA club competitions (the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
and the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
). BFC Dynamo was eventually eliminated by
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (), is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first institution created from the All-Union Dynamo Sports Club.
Dynamo Mosco ...
in the semi-finals, after a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
in the return leg.
Harry Nippert became the new coach in 1973. BFC Dynamo also recruited midfielder and
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
player
Reinhard Lauck from relegated 1. FC Union Berlin the same year. BFC Dynamo had the youngest team in the league in the
1975-76 DDR-Oberliga, with an average age of 22.5 years. Talented players from the youth department were continuously integrated into the first team in the 1970s, such as
Hans-Jürgen Riediger
Hans Jürgen Riediger (born 20 December 1955) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker for BFC Dynamo, scoring 105 goals in 196 DDR-Oberliga matches. At internation ...
,
Lutz Eigendorf,
Norbert Trieloff and
Bodo Rudwaleit. BFC Dynamo established itself as a top team in the DDR-Oberliga in the mid-1970s. 30-year-old
Jürgen Bogs became the new coach in 1977.
Golden era (1978–1989)
BFC Dynamo had developed a very successful youth academy.
Numerous players from the youth department were integrated into the first team during the 1970s. The average age in the team was only 22.7 years at the start of the 1978–79 season.
BFC Dynamo under
Jürgen Bogs played an aggressive football that focused on attacking.
BFC Dynamo had a very successful start in the
1978-79 DDR-Oberliga and became ''
Herbstmeister''. The team reached the
1979 FDGB-Pokal final, but was defeated by 1. FC Magdeburg. Midfielder
Lutz Eigendorf defected
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
to
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
on 20 March 1979 in connection with a friendly match in
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
. His defection was considered a slap in the face of the East German regime; Eigendorf had been one of the most promising players in East Germany. BFC Dynamo eventually won its first DDR-Oberliga title in 1979. The team broke several league records during the 1978–79 season, such as: most number of matches won since the start of a season (10), most number of unbeaten matches since the start of a season (22), most goals scored in one season under the current format (75) and the biggest win in the DDR-Oberliga in the last 30 years (10–0 against
BSG Sachsenring Zwickau on the 17th matchday). Hans-Jürgen Riediger became second best goalscorer in the 1978-79 DDR-Oberliga with 20 goals.
BFC Dynamo made its debut in the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
in 1979. The team reached the quarter-finals of the
1979–80 European Cup
The 1979–80 European Cup was the 25th season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football competition. The tournament was won by holders Nottingham Forest in the final against Hamburg. The winning goal was scored by John Robertson, who d ...
, where it faced
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
under
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...
. The team won the first leg 0–1 away, after a goal by Riediger. BFC Dynamo thus became the first German team to defeat an English team in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the European Cup. The team won its second consecutive DDR-Oberliga title in
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
, after defeating first-placed SG Dynamo Dresden 1–0 on the final matchday in front of 30,000 spectators at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. The
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team, recognised as Germany DR by FIFA, represented East Germany in men's international Association football, football, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland national football team ...
won silver medal at the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. BFC Dynamo was represented by five players in the squad:
Bodo Rudwaleit,
Artur Ullrich,
Norbert Trieloff,
Frank Terletzki and
Wolf-Rüdiger Netz. All five played in the final against
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
More talented players from the youth department were integrated into the first team at the end of the 1970s and in the early 1980s, such as
Rainer Ernst,
Bernd Schulz,
Frank Rohde,
Falko Götz and
Christian Backs. BFC Dynamo won the league again in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
, after defeating second-placed FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2–1 in a deciding match on the final matchday. BFC Dynamo reached the 1982 FDGB-Pokal final, but lost to SG Dynamo Dresen in a penalty shoot-out. The team won its fourth consecutive league title in 1982, after defeating 1. FC Magdeburg 4–0 on the 23rd matchday. Supporters of BFC Dynamo invaded the pitch of the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in celebration of the league title. It was the first pitch invasion by the supporters of BFC Dynamo in the DDR-Oberliga.
BFC Dynamo was drawn against
West German champion Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...
in the first round of the
1982-83 European Cup. The first leg was played at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. The Stasi feared riots, political demonstrations and supporters who might express sympathy for West German stars. Only 2,000 tickets were allowed for ordinary fans. The rest was instead allocated to a politically hand-picked audience.
BFC Dynamo defender
Norbert Trieloff later said: "When we came out for that game, we realized something was wrong." The match ended 1–1, with a goal by Riediger. BFC Dynamo was eventually eliminated after a 2–0 defeat at the
Volksparkstadion
Volksparkstadion () is a football stadium in Hamburg, Germany, with a capacity of 57,000, which makes it the eighth largest stadium in Germany. It has served as the home ground of Bundesliga side Hamburger SV since 1953.
The Volksparkstadion ...
in the return leg.
Key players on the team in the 1982–83 season were
Bodo Rudwaleit, Christian Backs,
Rainer Troppa, Frank Rohde, Frank Terletzki, Hans-Jürgen Riediger, Norbert Trieloff,
Artur Ullrich, Wolf-Rüdiger Netz, Michael Noack,
Ralf Sträßer and Rainer Ernst. BFC Dynamo had come to dominate the DDR-Oberliga by 1982. The team went through the entire
1982-83 DDR-Oberliga undefeated. BFC Dynamo was defeated 1–2 by
FC Karl-Marx-Stadt on the seventh matchday of the
1983-84 DDR-Oberliga. It was the first loss since the 22nd matchday of the
1981-82 DDR-Oberliga. BFC Dynamo had then been undefeated in 36 matches, which set a new record in the DDR-Oberliga for the longest unbeaten run.
BFC Dynamo was drawn against
FK Partizan Belgrade in the second round of the
1983-84 European Cup. Players Falko Götz and Dirk Schlegel defected to West Germany during a shopping tour in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
the day before the second leg. The talented 18-year old forward
Andreas Thom
Andreas Thom (born 7 September 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward for BFC Dynamo, Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic and Hertha BSC. He played 51 times for East Germany throughout the 1980s and played ten times for ...
from the youth department was given the chance to make his international debut in the match as a replacement for Götz. BFC Dynamo was eventually eliminated by
AS Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...
in the quarter finals of 1983-84 European Cup. It was the fourth time in five seasons that BFC Dynamo had been eliminated in the European Cup by an eventual finalist; three times had BFC Dynamo been eliminated by the champion: Nottingham Forrest in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
,
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
and Hamburger SV in
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
. BFC Dynamo captured its sixth consecutive league in 1984. Rainer Ernst became the best goal scorer in the 1983-84 DDR-Oberliga with 20 goals. BFC Dynamo reached the 1984 FDGB-Pokal final, but lost to SG Dynamo Dresden.
BFC Dynamo recruited
Frank Pastor from relegated
HFC Chemie in 1984. The team was drawn against
Aberdeen FC under
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
in the first round of the
1984–85 European Cup
The 1984–85 European Cup was the 30th season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football competition. The tournament was won for the first time by Juventus in a 1–0 win against defending champions Liverpool
Liverpool is a por ...
. BFC Dynamo eventually won the round after dramatic penalty shoot-out at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in the return leg. Goalkeeper Bodo Rudwaleit saved the last two penalty kicks for Aberdeen FC.
BFC Dynamo finished the
1984-85 DDR-Oberliga in first place, six points ahead of SG Dynamo Dresden. The team had scored a total of 90 goals in 1984-85 DDR-Oberliga, which set a new record. No team would ever score more goals in one season in the DDR-Oberliga. With 24 goals, Rainer Ernst was once again the best goal scorer in the league. Frank Pastor was the second best goal scorer in the league with 22 goals. BFC Dynamo reached the
1985 FDGB-Pokal final, but was again defeated by SC Dynamo Dresden in the final.
BFC Dynamo was in first place in the league before the winter break 1985–1986. The team faced
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig on the 18th matchday of the
1985-86 DDR-Oberliga. 1. FC Lokomotiv Leipzig led the match 1–0 in overtime. BFC Dynamo was then awarded a penalty in the 95th minute by referee
Bernd Stumpf.
Frank Pastor converted the penalty and the match ended in a 1–1 draw. The penalty was highly controversial and would later become known as the "
Shame penalty of Leipzig".
BFC Dynamo won the 1985-86 DDR-Oberliga. The team finished just two points ahead of runner-up 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig.
BFC Dynamo had the best material conditions in the league and the best team by far.
But controversial refereeing decisions in favor of BFC Dynamo gave rise to speculation that the dominance of BFC Dynamo was not solely due to athletic performance, but also due to help from referees.
BFC Dynamo was a representative of both the Stasi and the capital. The team was therefore viewed with more suspicion than affection.
The overbearing success of BFC Dynamo in the 1980s made fans of opposing teams easily aroused as to what they saw as manipulation by bent referees.
The team was met with aggression and shouts such as "Bent champions!" () and "Jews Berlin!" () at away matches.
Complaints of alleged referee bias accumulated into the hundreds in the mid-1980s.
The
East German Football Association (DFV) eventually conducted an internal analysis of the 1984–85 season.
Among other things, the analysis found that BFC Dynamo had incurred only one third of the
yellow cards incurred by rival SG Dynamo Dresden.
A review was also made of the final of the
1985 FDGB-Pokal final between BFC Dynamo and SG Dynamo Dresden. This analysis concluded that 30 percent of the referee decisions were wrong, and found that 80 percent of those had been of disadvantage to SG Dynamo Dresden.
A number of referees were sanctioned for their performances in matches involving BFC Dynamo in the following months, including the referees involved in the 1985 cup final.
A particularly controversial episode was
the penalty awarded to BFC Dynamo by referee Bernd Stumpf in extra time in the match between 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig and BFC Dynamo in March 1986.
The penalty caused a wave of protests.
SED General Secretary
Erich Honecker
Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the post ...
and the Secretary for Security, Youth and Sport of the
SED Central Committee Egon Krenz
Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (; born 19 March 1937) is a German former politician who was the last Communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Revolutions of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the Secretary (title), ...
were fed up with the "football question" and the "BFC-discussion".
Honecker wanted quiet.
An example was consequently made out of referee Stumpf. He was permanently banned from refereeing by the DFV.
The sanctions against Stumpf were approved by Honecker and Krenz in the SED Central Committee.
However, a previously unknown video recording of the match was published by
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
(; "Central German Broadcasting"), shortened to MDR (; stylized as mdr), is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. Established in January 1991, its headquarters are in Leipzig, wi ...
(MDR) in 2000. The video recording showed that the penalty was correctly awarded and that the sanctions against Stumpf were unjustified.
In an interview in 2000, Stumpf said: "The people have never understood, how this Leipzig game was used by the highest officials in the party and government."
The benefit of controlling important matches in Western Europe might have put indirect pressure on the referees to take preventive measures, in so-called preventive obedience.
In order pursue an international career, a referee would need a travel permit, confirmed by the Stasi.
It became known after the German reunification that several referees had also been
Unofficial collaborator
An unofficial collaborator or IM (; both from German ''inoffizieller Mitarbeiter''), or euphemistically informal collaborator (''informeller Mitarbeiter''), was an informant in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) who delivered privat ...
s (IM) of the Stasi.
However, there is no evidence to show that referees were under direct instructions from the Stasi and no document has ever been found in the archives that gave the Stasi a mandate to bribe referees.
The picture that the success of BFC Dynamo relied upon referee bias is dismissed by former BFC Dynamo players and coaches. Some of them admit that there might have been cases of referee bias, but they all insist that it was the thoroughness of their youth work and the quality of their play that earned them their titles.
Former coach Jürgen Bogs has said: "You cannot postpone 26 matches in one season in the DDR-Oberliga. At that time we had the best football team".
German author Steffen Karas claims that BFC Dynamo only scored nine match-deciding goals in the 86th minute or later, in the 218 matches it won or drew during its ten championship years. Only one of those goals came from a penalty.
Supported by numerous training centers (TZ) of the
SV Dynamo
The Sportvereinigung Dynamo () (''Dynamo Sports Association'') was the Sports associations (East Germany), sport association of the security agencies (Volkspolizei, Stasi, Ministry for State Security, fire department and customs) of former East ...
sports association, BFC Dynamo was able to filter the best talents through nationwide screening and train them in its youth academy. The youth academy had full-time trainers employed for every age group.
As the coach of the DDR-Oberliga team, Bogs worked with modern training methods, such as video evalutations, which was not yet common in East Germany. The club also applied heart rate and lactate measurements during training, which only came to the Bundesliga many years later.
Former referee
Bernd Heynemann has concluded: "The BFC is not ten times champions because the referees only whistled for Dynamo. They were already strong as a bear."
BFC Dynamo recruited 20-year-old
Thomas Doll
Thomas Jens Uwe Doll (born 9 April 1966) is a German professional Association football, football manager and a former Association football, football player. As a player, he played as an attacking midfielder for F.C. Hansa Rostock, BFC Dynamo, Ha ...
from relegated
F.C. Hansa Rostock in 1986. Doll and Andreas Thom would form one of the most effective attacking duos in East German football in the late 1980s. The
1986–87 and
1987-88 seasons saw renewed competition in the DDR-Oberliga. BFC Dynamo eventually won its tenth consecutive league title in 1988. The 1987-88 DDR-Oberliga was won on goal difference in the final matchday. Andreas Thom became the best goalscorer in 1987-88 DDR-Oberliga with 20 goals. The team then defeated FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the
1988 FDGB-Pokal final and finally completed the
Double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
.
Thom was voted the
1988 East German footballer of the year.
BFC Dynamo was drawn against West German champion
SV Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...
in the first round of the
1988-89 European Cup. BFC Dynamo sensationally won the first leg 3–0 at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark.
However, the team lost the return leg at the
Weser-Stadion
Weserstadion () is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium in Bremen, Germany. The Weserstadion is scenically situated on the north bank of the Weser River and is surrounded by lush green parks (the name 'Werder' is a regional German word for ...
with 0–5. The return leg would become known as the second "Miracle on the Weser".
BFC Dynamo defeated FC Karl-Marx-Stadt in the
1989 FDGB-Pokal final and won its second consecutive cup title.
SG Dynamo Dresden eventually broke the dominance of BFC Dynamo in the DDR-Oberliga in the
1988-89 season. BFC Dynamo finished the 1988-89 DDR-Oberliga as runner-up, and SG Dynamo Dresden became the new champion. Coach Bogs was replaced by Helmut Jäschke after the 1988–89 season. As the cup winner, BFC Dynamo was set to play the new league champion SG Dynamo Dresden in the first edition of the
DFV-Supercup. BFC Dynamo won the match 4-1 and became the first and, eventually, only winner of the DFV-Supercup in the history of East German football.
FC Berlin, decline and insolvency (1989–2004)
The 1989–90 season was marked by the
political change in East Germany. The
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
was opened on 9 November 1989 and people in East Berlin could now travel freely to West Berlin.
Andreas Thom
Andreas Thom (born 7 September 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward for BFC Dynamo, Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic and Hertha BSC. He played 51 times for East Germany throughout the 1980s and played ten times for ...
was signed to
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
. He left the team during the winter break 1989–1990 and became the first player in the DDR-Oberliga to be transferred to the West German
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...
was definitively dissolved on 13 January 1990 and thus BFC Dynamo lost a major sponsor.
The East German Ministry of the Interior announced that it was only prepared to support the club until the end of the 1989–90 season and the fate of the club was uncertain. BFC Dynamo was eventually rebranded as FC Berlin on 19 February 1990.
The team finished the
1989-90 DDR-Oberliga in fourth place and failed for the first time in a long time to qualify for an UEFA competition.
Thomas Doll
Thomas Jens Uwe Doll (born 9 April 1966) is a German professional Association football, football manager and a former Association football, football player. As a player, he played as an attacking midfielder for F.C. Hansa Rostock, BFC Dynamo, Ha ...
and
Frank Rohde left for
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...
and
Rainer Ernst for
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...
after the season.
Jürgen Bogs returned as coach in 1990. FC Berlin finished the
1990-91 NOFV-Oberliga in 11th place, but qualified for the
play-off for the 2. Bundesliga. The team just narrowly failed to qualify for the
2. Bundesliga.
More players left the team after 1990–91 season, including
Heiko Bonan for
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play ...
,
Burkhard Reich for
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V., better known as Karlsruher SC, is a Football in Germany, German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of Germa ...
and
Hendrik Herzog for
FC Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, ...
. The 1991–92 season was the first season when teams from East Germany and teams from
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
played in the same league system. The
NOFV-Oberliga
The NOFV- Oberliga is a division at step 5 of the German football league system. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it became the successor of the DDR-Oberliga, and functions today as a 5th division in the former territory of East Germany and the ...
was now at third tier in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
.
Sweeper Heiko Brestrich returned the team in 1991. The team was also joined by defender Jens Reckmann from the youth department the same year. Brestrich and Reckmann would be two of the most capped players of FC Berlin in the 1990s. FC Berlin dominated the
1991-92 NOFV-Oberliga, but failed for the second season in a row to qualify for the 2. Bundesliga. FC Berlin lost 11 players after the 1991–92 season. In total, the club lost two complete teams in the first year or two after the fall of the Berlin Wall: 22 players had left for the Bundesliga and 13 players for the 2. Bundesliga.
After failing to qualify for the 2. Bundesliga in 1991 and 1992, FC Berlin had to continue at amateur level. The club now had to rely heavily on its youth department to supply the team with new players.
Coach Bogs resigned in September 1993 and was replaced by Helmut Koch. FC Berlin managed to qualify for the new
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
in 1994. The reinstated Regionalliga formed the new third tier. The
1994-95 Regionalliga Nordost involved new
derbies against 1. FC Union Berlin and new matches against several other well-known opponents.
FC Berlin struggled in the 1994-95 Regionalliga Nordost but managed to retain its place in the league. The highlight of the
1995-96 Regionaliga Nordost were then new duels with
1. FC Dynamo Dresden. The two teams had not met since 1991.
Due to a threat of relegation, coach Koch was dismissed in October 1995. He was succeeded by former player and youth coach
Werner Voigt.
Defender
Mario Maek also returned to the team at the same time. FC Berlin organized one of the biggest youth football tournaments so far in the eastern part of the country in April 1996. As many as 30 youth teams from clubs such as
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...
,
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
,
SK Rapid Wien
Sportklub Rapid (), commonly known as Rapid Wien or Rapid Vienna in English language, English, is an Football in Austria, Austrian professional football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian cham ...
,
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow (, ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet Top League, Soviet championships (second only to FC Dynamo Kyiv, Dynamo Kyiv) and 10 Russian Premier League, Russian champ ...
,
FC Bayern München and
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
participated.
FC Berlin finished the
1995-96 Regionaliga Nordost in 13th place. Club President Volkmar Wanski announced in November 1996 that the financial reserves had been used up; the millions of
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
that the club had made from player transfers in the early 1990s were now gone.
Defender
Jörn Lenz returned to the team during the winter break 1997–1998. Lenz would be a key player for several seasons to come. The successes in the Regionalliga did not materialize; FC Berlin remained a lower-table side. Coach Voigt eventually left for 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in March 1998. Henry Häusler became new coach in 1998.
Among the key players on the team in the 1998–99 season were Heiko Brestrich, Jörn Lenz, Mario Kallnik and Mario Maek.
Coach Häusler was already dismissed in April 1999, due to repeated public criticism of the team. The club took back its old name of BFC Dynamo on 8 May 1999.
BFC Dynamo defeated
Berlin Turkspor 1965 4–1 in the final of the 1998-99 Berlin Cup and finally won its first
Berlin Cup title. Brestrich scored two goals,
Ayhan Gezen one goal and Maek one goal for BFC Dynamo in the final. Former
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Erfurt, Thuringia.
History Foundation to World War II
The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests t ...
-player and coach Klaus Goldbach became new coach at the end of the season.
BFC Dynamo recruited goalkeeper
Nico Thomaschewski from 1. FC Union Berlin in 1999.
BFC Dynamo suffered a period of crisis during the autumn of 1999; the club had run into financial difficulties, and the team had plummeted down the league after several matches without a single win. Heiko Brestrich was sacked after a protest against coach Goldbach. Brestrich had played 282 matches for the team between 1991 and 1999. Eventually, Jürgen Bogs returned for his third stint as coach in December 1999. Hans Reker became the new sporting director in January 2000. Through Reker, BFC Dynamo finally got a promising main sponsor in the form of the software company Lipro AG.
However, the struggle in the league continued and BFC Dynamo finished the 1999-2000 Regionalliga in 17th place.
The team was thus relegated to
NOFV-Oberliga Nord
The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of the former East Germany and West Berlin. It covers the States of Germany, German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a ...
; for the first time, BFC Dynamo was a fourth-tier team. After six years in office, Club President Wanski resigned in June 2000, in protest against Lipro AG's demand for influence.
About a dozen new players were signed in the summer of 2000, including five Romanian players, four of whom were former national team players.
Social democratic
Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
SPD-politician Karin Halsch became the new club president in September 2000.
BFC Dynamo finished the
2000–01 NOFV-Oberliga Nord in first place.
BFC Dynamo striker Denis Kozlov became the top scorer in the league with 29 goals.
The team faced
1. FC Magdeburg
1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football Football club (association football), club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the Sports club (East Germany), sports club ''SC Magdeburg'' and has bee ...
in the
play-off for the Regionalliga Nord. However, two weeks before the first leg, it had become clear that the club was in major financial trouble.
Players had not received their salaries for months and the club was behind on insurance payments. BFC Dynamo lost the play-off after a 5–2 defeat away in the second leg. Several players left the team immediately after the season.
The insurance company AOK eventually filed for insolvency against BFC Dynamo in June 2001.
Shortly afterwards, Halsch resigned as club president and Reker took over as acting president.
The club's total debts were now estimated at 5.5 millions Deutsche Mark.
BFC Dynamo tried to initiate a partnership with
FC Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow (''FC Dynamo Moskva'', , ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Dynamo returned to the Russian Premier League for the 2017–18 season after one season in the second-tier Russian Footba ...
, but the plans led nowhere.
BFC Dynamo needed 30,000 Deutsche Mark by 31 October 2001 to open insolvency proceedings, but the club did not have the money.
If insolvency proceedings could not be opened, the club would go bankcrupt.
Supporters of BFC Dynamo staged a demonstration march from
Sportforum Hohenschönhausen
Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, officially named Sportforum Berlin, is a multi-purpose sports complex in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen of the borough of Lichtenberg, Berlin, Lichtenberg in Berlin. The Sportforum was also known as the Dynamo- ...
to
Rotes Rathaus
The Red Town Hall ( ) is the town hall of Berlin, Germany, located in the Mitte (locality), Mitte district on Rathausstraße near Alexanderplatz. It is the home to the Governing Mayor of Berlin, governing mayor and the government (the Senate of B ...
to save the club. Also former players such as Hans-Jürgen Riediger,
Rainer Troppa,
Waldemar Ksienzyk and
Heiko Brestrich, planned to participate.
A sponsor group around former club president Wanski eventually came forward at the last second and offered the money.
BFC Dynamo, and then FC Berlin, was said to have made millions from player sales after ''
Die Wende
The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...
''.
The club was for a time considered the richest amateur club in Germany.
But not all the money had gone to the club. Some had also gone to
SV Dynamo
The Sportvereinigung Dynamo () (''Dynamo Sports Association'') was the Sports associations (East Germany), sport association of the security agencies (Volkspolizei, Stasi, Ministry for State Security, fire department and customs) of former East ...
, the
East German Football Association (DFV) and agents.
The club's reputation as a former Stasi club made it difficult to win new sponsors.
The club was also plagued by hooliganism which repeatedly made negative headlines.
FC Berlin failed to qualify for the 2. Bundesliga and never progressed beyond third tier.
Average attendance was only a couple of hundreds in the early 1990s.
FC Berlin ran a large youth department which at one point cost 400,000 Deutsche Marks a year.
At the end of 1996, the club had no money left in its bank accounts and Club President Volkmar Wanski would need to support the club with annual personal financial contributions.
In 2000, the club finally got a promising main sponsor in the form of Lipro AG and made a bid to reach the third tier.
However, the millions from Lipro AG later turned out to be loans.
Insolvency proceedings were opened on 1 November 2001. BFC Dynamo was automatically relegated to the
Verbandsliga Berlin and had to continue under amateur conditions.
Only three players from the former squad remained for the first mandatory friendly match, including new team captain Piotr Rowicki.
Jörn Lenz left for