They Put Me in the Right Corner: Owner of Atlético Baleares Defends Against Fan Accusations

A stadium name, a shitstorm, and a lot of heat

This week, a relatively banal item on Atlético Baleares' members' meeting agenda was supposed to be decided: should the main stand of Estadi Balear carry the club patron's name in the future? Instead of applause there were accusations — loud, digital, with Telegram screenshots as evidence. What began as a planned vote turned into a political drama.

What exactly happened

A fan group named Fanàtiks ATB published excerpts from the club president's Telegram channel Ingo Volckmann and then described him as a mouthpiece for right-wing populist and homophobic content. On social media it heated up within hours; you could almost hear it in the tone of the commentators — annoyed, loud, a bit theatrical.

The President Responds

Volckmann himself says he does not want to blow things out of proportion. In a phone call that ended in a small bar on Passeig Mallorca in the afternoon (yes, such things happen here more often), he stressed that many fans know him: I sometimes have a big mouth, but I am not an extremist. He complains that those with opposing views are immediately placed in the right-wing corner and calls his critics ultra-left.

Between saving the club and political debate

That is the irony: without Volckmann, longtime supporters say Atlético Baleares would look different today. In recent years he has put money into the stadium and the squad, has brought the dilapidated Estadi back into shape. That is what makes the discussion so painful — gratitude and skepticism lie close together.

Why this is more than a fan dispute

The dispute shows how political football has become, here on the island as well. For some the club is a place of togetherness, for others a stage on which societal conflicts are played out. The question remains: should a sports club stay purely sports-focused, or may the voices in the stands also carry political weight?

In the end, there is a vote, now viewed with different eyes. Whether the tribune will bear the name Ingo Volckmann remains open. Let's see how the members decide — perhaps over coffee and bocadillo, as they say here, in the hall next to the stadium. Until then: a little more calm would do everyone some good. And yes, there will continue to be opinions — loud, soft, and everything in between.