Alpine antics, a new fan favourite – and a promise

There were big cheers for two Mainz players at Saturday’s fan meet-up at Salvenalm

Following Friday night’s 5-0 friendly win over Seekirchen, day four of the training camp in Hopfgarten was all about recovery, video analysis and individual reviews for the Mainz players. The highlight of Saturday came later in the day. A cable car took the squad up to around 1,300 metres above sea level and the Salvenalm hut, where around 350 travelling fans were already waiting eagerly to greet their heroes. They didn’t have to wait long, as Nadiem Amiri and his teammates headed straight into the crowd to mingle with supporters. The meet-up which, as always, was perfectly organised by the fan department and fan support team, was an unmitigated success, and offered two more on-stage highlights.

Mainz fans had already been enjoying the hearty food, cold drinks and a local band, and they were enthused even further by host Christian Bernhardt’s interview with captain Silvan Widmer, as well as vice-captain Nadiem Amiri, who, to loud cheers, made the promise: “I can also tell everybody that I’m definitely staying here.”

Kawasaki fires up the fans

Our new signing from Japan was also warmly greeted by the FSV fans. Sota Kawasaki surprised everyone with his knowledge of German, and even encouraged the supporters to chant his name. The 23-year-old also cheerfully joined in with the songs the at the end. Kawasaki didn’t just contribute to a joyful atmosphere in the hut, but also showed that he has the potential to become a fan favourite at Mainz 05.