Overview
- Local outlets report that Friedrich Merz will be at Signal Iduna Park this afternoon for Borussia Dortmund’s game against FC St. Pauli.
- Before the match, Merz is scheduled to receive the Großen Stutenkerl, described as the top honor of the Bäckerinnungsverband West.
- Watzke will deliver the laudation at the ceremony, and Merz is expected to watch from the main stand alongside Watzke and BVB CEO Carsten Cramer.
- Merz’s long BVB ties include service on the club’s supervisory board from 2010 to 2014 and a decades-long acquaintance with Watzke rooted in the Sauerland.
- Previous Dortmund matches Merz attended before taking office coincided with setbacks for the club, including the 2022–23 finale against Mainz and the Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.