The Rise and Fall of FC Kaiserslautern: What Went Wrong?

Founded in June 1900, FC Kaiserslautern spent almost half a decade in Germany's footballing wilderness before the arrival of Fritz Walter, his brother Ottmar Walter, and the rest of the Kaiserslautern stars who inspired West Germany to success at the 1954 World Cup.

Kaiserslautern only spent one season outside of the Bundesliga prior to the 2006 World Cup, enjoying a second wave of success by winning two Bundesliga titles in the 1990s.

Now, FC Kaiserslautern are in the third tier of German football / soccer, not far off dropping into the fourth tier, and facing financial ruin. In this video, HITC Sevens takes a look at where it all went wrong for the ninth most successful club in German football.