A dispute is brewing between RB Leipzig and Tino Chrupalla, leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, over cancelled VIP tickets for Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Bayern munich. chrupalla alleges the revocation was politically motivated, raising questions about inclusivity in German football as the season enters a critical phase. While RB Leipzig cites overbooking in its VIP areas, the incident has sparked a public back-and-forth, with the club firmly denying Chrupalla’s claims and questioning whether he ever legitimately purchased the tickets.
RB Leipzig has cancelled VIP tickets for AfD party leader Tino Chrupalla ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich, according to reports from the Berliner Zeitung. The match, scheduled for a 6:30 PM local time kickoff, promises to be a key contest in the German league title race.
Chrupalla believes the cancellation stems from his political affiliation, stating, “I am surprised that the tickets were cancelled by the organizer as soon as I entered my name in the booking system,” according to the report. He added that the club appears to advertise inclusivity while “apparently not welcoming everyone.”
The tickets were originally purchased for Chrupalla and five business associates, along with their partners, by a player agent he knows. When Chrupalla attempted to personalize the tickets through the RB Leipzig app, he discovered they had been revoked.
Chrupalla (2024) at the Euro semi-final between the Netherlands and England in Dortmund
RB Leipzig Disputes Chrupalla’s Claims
A spokesperson for RB Leipzig strongly refuted Chrupalla’s allegations. “We clearly contradict the scenario outlined by Mr. Tino Chrupalla,” the spokesperson stated. “We confirm that Mr. Tino Chrupalla has never purchased tickets for an RB Leipzig home game – neither for the match against FC Bayern Munich nor in the past.”
The club emphasized, “There were also never one or more tickets personalized in the name of Tino Chrupalla.” RB Leipzig explicitly contradicts Chrupalla’s account.
According to the RB Leipzig spokesperson, the cancellation was due to “overbooking in our VIP areas before this particularly high-demand home game against FC Bayern.” Purchasers were offered “compensation.”
