Friday, September 04, 2015

Bayern Munich To Provide Refugee Children With Food, German Lessons, Football Equipment


© Michaela Rehle / Reuters

As Europe's refugee crisis escalates, Germany’s biggest football club is reaching out to help. Bayern Munich will host training camps for kids, providing them with food, German lessons and football equipment. It will also donate US$1.1 million toward refugee projects.

"We at FC Bayern consider it our socio-political responsibility to help displaced and needy children, women and men, supporting and assisting them in Germany," Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement on the club's website.

RT.com report continues:
In addition to hosting a football camp for refugee children and youths, Bayern Munich players will enter the arena at their next home game holding the hands of one German child and one refugee child. That match will take place on September 12, against FC Augsberg.

The club has also vowed to donate €1 million (US$1.1 million) from a friendly game to refugee projects.

Other German teams have also reached out to help amid the worsening crisis.

Following the announcement on Thursday, German team Arminia Bielefeld offered 500 tickets for a match on September 12, Die Welt reported. The tickets were gone within two hours.

"We are thrilled with the overwhelming demand. We wish the refugees and their companions a wonderful football afternoon in the Schueco Arena," said managing director Gerrit Meinke.

Borussia Dortmund invited 220 asylum seekers to watch a Europa League match last week, while Mainz also gave out 200 free tickets for their home match against Hannover last weekend.

Banners reading “Welcome refugees” could be seen at football grounds across the country on Thursday.
Germany has so far accepted more asylum applications than any other European country. It expects to take in a total of 800,000 refugees this year – four times the amount in 2014.

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