Borussia Dortmund supporters' #BedForAwayFans earns FIFA nomination and place in Twitter history
After being named the third-most impactful sports hashtag in Twitter history, the #BedforAwayFans provoked by the bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund team coach ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with Monaco last season was nominated for a FIFA #TheBest award.
The heartfelt actions of the Dortmund fans for their Monaco counterparts were pipped to the post at the ceremony in London on 23 October 2017 by a stirring Celtic Choreo.
To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the hashtag earlier this year, Twitter revealed the chart of the hashtags that have had the biggest effect on the social channel with #BedforAwayFans claiming a place on the podium.
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The hashtag sprang up spontaneously following the blast which occured as the Dortmund team coach was leaving for the Signal Iduna Park ahead of their quarter-final first leg with the Ligue 1 club on 11 April.
With the BVB squad understandably traumatised and defender Marc Bartra hospitalised and requiring surgery on an arm injury, the match was postponed 24 hours, meaning Monaco fans who had made the 1200 kilometre journey to Germany faced the choice of either returning home or finding a place to stay.
A massive response from Dortmund fans ensured the away fans were provided with lodgings for the night, and provoked a wave of social media posts showing rival supporters united around dinner tables over beers and food.
The hashtag finished behind #FollowTheCaptain, used by Manchester City to encourage the sharing of a motivational speech by Vincent Kompany ahead of a Manchester derby, and #PutYourBatsOut, a call to pay tribute to Australian cricketer Phil Hughes following his sudden death at the age of 25.