Bayern Munich’s disastrous 3-2 defeat by Bochum became the latest Bundesliga game to be marred by fan protests.

The loss for Thomas Tuchel’s side left them eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the title race and capped a miserable week for the German giants following defeats to Leverkusen and Lazio over the past eight days.

They had started well against Bochum – who were one place clear of the relegation zone prior to kick off – and went ahead through Jamal Musiala.

This was the latest protest at planned foreign investment in the Bundesliga, with several other matches having been delayed in recent weeks – including nearly every Bundesliga game across the weekend.

Bayern Munich ‘s disastrous 3-2 defeat by Bochum became the latest Bundesliga game to be marred by fan protests after supporters threw several tennis balls onto the pitch

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane watches on as helpers remove the tennis balls from the pitch

This was the latest protest at planned foreign investment in the Bundesliga, with several other matches having been delayed in recent weeks and across the weekend

This comes after German clubs approved a controversial proposal to sell an eight per cent stake of their future TV revenue to a private equity investor back in December.

When defending the plans, the German Football League (DFL) insisted they were looking to boost its business model and international marketing with the €1bn (£859.6m) income, with the investor having no say in sporting matters

The DFL currently makes approximately £170m (€200m) in television revenue, according to SportsPro Media. 

Sunday’s stoppage lasted 15 minutes, which seemed to do wonders for Bochum, with Harry Kane missing a gilt-edged chance soon after the delay before Takuma Asano and Keven Schlotterbeck turned the game on its head to put the hosts 2-1 up.

Kevin Stoger added a third from the penalty spot, with Kane netting what turned out to be a mere consolation, while Dayot Upamecano was also sent off for a second successive game.

The tennis balls were the most recent example of the protests, with other fans having utilised methods such as throwing gold chocolate coins and apples onto the pitch to voice their anger about the proposed foreign investment. 

For example, during Borussia Dortmund’s victory over Freiburg last week, tennis balls and chocolate gold coins were lobbed onto the pitch, causing a 10-minute delay. 

This was the case again when Dortmund beat Cologne last month, leading to an eight-minute stoppage on that occasion.

Earlier on Sunday, Freiburg’s clash with Eintracht Frankfurt was delayed midway through the second half when remote-controlled planes were flown around the stadium and sweets were also chucked onto the pitch, with supporters demanding an end to the controversial plans to sell a stake of the league’s future revenue.

The Bayern and Bochum players were forced from the field, causing a 15-minute delay

Last month, fans threw chocolate coins onto the pitch before Cologne vs Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund fans also unfurled banners expressing their opposition to private investment into the Bundesliga

The protests have even filtered down to Bundesliga 2, with Hannover’s 4-3 win over Hamburg last week marred by Hamburg fans chaining six padlocks to the goal and netting at half-time and three locks to both posts at one end.

This caused a significant delay, with the padlocks needing to be cut off before play could resume as supporters continue to show their opposition to the controversial plans.

Bayern’s defeat on Sunday left them eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the table with 12 league games to go, meaning the German giants are in danger of missing out on the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2011-12, having won it for 11 consecutive seasons.