A training camp for migrant children. A US$1.1 million donation. German lessons.
Those are a few of the things Bayern Munich are doing to help some of the thousands of migrants who are arriving in Germany after fleeing war and poverty in Syria and other troubled nations.
Other German soccer teams have also been at the forefront in preaching acceptance of the new arrivals.
“At a difficult time for these people, this is a small contribution to distract from daily life,” FSV Mainz 05 said after inviting migrants to attend matches.
Bayern appears to be leading the way, though. The club, among the biggest and richest in Europe, said on Thursday it would donate 1 million euros (US$1.1 million) to refugee projects as well as put on a training camp that would give children and adolescents German lessons, meals and soccer equipment.
At their next home game next Saturday, the team’s star players are to walk out onto the field holding hands with a German child on one side and a migrant child on the other.
Bayern said it would be “a symbol for the integration of refugees.”
Germany is witnessing an unprecedented surge of asylum seekers this year. About 800,000 migrants are expected to arrive, a fourfold increase from last year, and soccer supporters have long been displaying messages of solidarity. Banners with “Refugees welcome” have been a common sight at Bundesliga matches.
More than 2,000 migrants arrived by train in Munich on Tuesday, when police said they were “overwhelmed” by donations from residents.
Germany’s national team, which won the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last year, has also gotten involved. Jerome Boateng, Ilkay Gundogan, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos appeared in a video on Wednesday to promote respect and tolerance.
Mainz invited 200 migrants to last week’s game and 400 more are expected for the club’s next home game on Sept. 18. Second-division DSC Arminia Bielefeld made 500 tickets available for their home game against Heidenheim. According to the club, all were snapped up within two hours.
In Dortmund, where Borussia Dortmund have been involved in a long-running battle against far-right extremism among some of their own supporters, some fans have been welcoming migrants for years. The club recently invited 220 migrants from the local Angekommen (Arrived) support initiative to watch a UEFA Europa League qualifier against Norwegian club Odds BK.
While many migrants looking for a better life are attracted to Dortmund, set in the heartland of the industrial Ruhr area, the city also serves as a focal point for neo-Nazis in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Borussia Dortmund have taken several measures to curb right-wing violence and promote tolerance, including their “No Beer for Racists” campaign. The club has also countered the suggestion that Germany cannot afford any more migrants.
“Germany is one of the largest and most prosperous countries in Europe,” Dortmund said. “If you put the asylum applications in relation to the population, Germany is only 10th on the list within Europe.”
Rival Bundesliga clubs Hannover 96 and Schalke 04, and lower-level teams including Fortuna Duesseldorf and Dynamo Dresden, have also taken part in initiatives for migrants.
The generosity is not restricted to soccer — handball’s HSG Wetzlar made 100 tickets available to migrants for each of their first two home league games of the season.
SV Babelsberg 03, a third-tier soccer club based in Berlin, founded a team made entirely of migrants last year.
Welcome United, as the fan-funded team is called, play their first season in Berlin’s lower league this year.
“We want people to be welcome, regardless of why they had to leave their homes,” SV Babelsberg 03 said. “We believe every human being can be an asset to society.”
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