Explained: Why Bundesliga fans are organising 12-minutes silences in games across Germany this weekend

In allusion to the effect of fans as the proverbial 12th member of the team, fan clubs and "ultras" from several of Germany's top clubs, notably supporters of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, announced on Friday Sportschau reports, that they will remain silent for the first 12 minutes of their teams' forthcoming games.

For months, fans have been demonstrating at Bundesliga games with banners out of worry that the league would be pressured by an investor to alter the competition's structure and prioritise TV viewers above the supporters present in the stadiums. The fan organisations claim that the Bundesliga's heavy emphasis on Germany's raucous audiences and full stadiums is their "biggest weapon" in marketing and that their silent protest would turn more heads. The demonstrations started when the top two men's football teams in Germany decided, by a slim margin, to move forward with talks to allow an investment firm to purchase a portion of future TV and marketing revenue in exchange for a one-time payment. The league states that there are "several interested parties" and that the stake would be limited to 8% over a 20-year period.

The fans had earlier won through their protests when they fought against the league's Monday night kickoff. The kickoff was seen as a marketing-favoured decision as it allowed the broadcasters to have an extra day of telecasts while it made it difficult for fans to visit the stadium on weeknights.

The fans will sit in at the kickoff of the games this weekend starting with the match between Borussia Monchengladbach and Werder Bremen on Friday, December 15 at Borussia-Park.