"Cut your hair off!": When a Bundesliga professional went into hiding for fear of his own fans

Thirty years ago, dramatic events unfolded in the Bundesliga. MSV Duisburg player Peter Közle terminated his contract and went into hiding, forced to flee from his own fans.

"I have a bad feeling when I go into my apartment because I'm scared. Because right now, it's not good to be somewhere where the fans know: We can get him there!" These were the shocking words of Peter Közle, then a Bundesliga professional for MSV Duisburg, in the summer of 30 years ago. The Upper Bavarian native was 27 years old at the time when he "went into hiding and was untouchable" because he feared the "hatred" of his own fans. It's one of the saddest stories the Bundesliga has ever seen!

It all began so happily. The fans of MSV Duisburg celebrated their striker after the club's return to the top flight for the 1993/94 season. The club then enjoyed a brilliant season, and new attacker Peter Közle scored 13 goals for his club. The man with the long hair and friendly smile stood out. Peter Közle quickly became the face of a team that fought, played, and made its fans proud. Ninth place at the end of the season was the well-deserved reward.

And in between, MSV even caused a real curiosity in Bundesliga history when they took the lead on matchday 22 – for the first time in league history with a negative goal difference of minus one goal. All of Duisburg was ecstatic at the time. And right in the middle of it all was the likeable footballer Peter Közle, who mingled with the crowd as if it were his own.

"Scapegoat" for the botched season

"I wanted to lead a completely normal life and not isolate myself. As a footballer, I'm not a special person. I wanted to be one of many," he said while on the run, when a major German sports magazine tracked him down and asked him about his horrific experiences. By that point, the tables had already turned completely. In their second season in the top division, MSV found themselves at the bottom of the table from the start, and Peter Közle wasn't scoring nearly as often as he had in his first season with the Meidericher. All the positive things they had projected onto him in his first year now gave way to negativity.

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Peter Közle later said that Duisburg was looking for a "scapegoat" for the botched season – and the striking man with long hair, who initially mingled with the crowd and went out even during the less successful days, was a perfect fit. "First they lay at my feet, then they trampled on me," Peter Közle said – and he didn't mean "treading on me" in a figurative sense. The fear of physical violence was ultimately omnipresent for the Upper Bavarian native, who had actually come to appreciate life in the Ruhr region. At the end, the fans stood in front of his apartment, shouting, "Come out, you pig!" and "We'll cut your hair off!" A situation that was no longer tolerable.

Away from Duisburg. Out of fear.

Közle decided to flee. From his own fans. Away from Duisburg. For fear that one day they might actually catch him. And Közle didn't do things by halves. He terminated his contract and waived a lot of money. He went into hiding. At first, he was untouchable. Then, after some time, the first pictures of him appeared again. Through Alain Sutter's mediation, he was allowed to train with Bayern. To keep fit. Meanwhile, the season continued. Because Közle had made his decision for the club and his teammates. He hoped to be able to take the pressure off his team once the supposed "scapegoat" was no longer there. After all, the boos against him were always indirectly boos against the entire team.

But it was all to no avail. MSV Duisburg was relegated from the Bundesliga. And Peter Közle? He was lucky that Klaus Toppmöller brought him to VfL Bochum. Back then, Toppmöller was said to have a weakness for difficult characters. Whether Közle fit into that category or not is debatable, but in any case, the Upper Bavarian native returned to the Ruhr region - and still lives there today. Peter Közle has long since reconciled with MSV Duisburg and its fans. Just five years after fleeing Meiderich, he even returned to MSV for one season. But Közle has never forgotten the memories of that dark chapter in his life from 1995.