Before every game in Germany, the away side's fan liaison officer collects requests and sends them to the host club, who decide which items are going to be allowed in the away section.

A group of musically-inclined Frankfurt fans asked if they could bring their xylophone to inspire their side with some truly hardcore tinkling. Sadly, Bremen put the kibosh on the instrument on "safety" grounds.

On Wednesday, the Frankfurt fan officer released a statement to explain just why there won't be any xylophones allowed at Bremen:

"Given that the anger as well as the media interest in the ban on xylophones has now reached unprecedented levels, we sadly must inform you about the background.

"Several Eintracht fans had asked whether they were allowed to bring a full-fledged concert xylophone.

"We took the request to the Bremen officials and -- understandably enough -- were denied permission since the xylophone really is not that small and could block emergency routes."