Bundesliga teams reach out to refugees amid crisis in Europe
German Bundesliga clubs and supporters have made an amazing gesture on the refugees of the ongoing crisis in Europe as they invite those who are forced to leave their countries to football matches, reports ESPN.
Several Bundesliga fans had made great effort on providing a welcoming atmosphere to those hundreds of thousands entering Europe from places like Syria, as well as protests and attacks on refugees' homes in parts of Germany. Amid the tensions in Europe, they have decided to extend a helping hand from Germany.
The photos of Borussia Dortmund fans holding up banners reading “Refugees Welcome” on their famous Yellow Wall stand went viral on the internet. This gesture had been made during Dortmund’s Europa League qualifier against Odds BK when they invited a group of 220 refugees to watch the game.
Borussia Dortmund were not the only German club to initiate the move as Mainz offered shirts and 200 tickets to their home game against Hannover. Hannover announced an invitation to future games for the refugees in the town who were given a complete set of jerseys and footballs last week.
On the other hand, FC Schalke released a video clip on their official twitter account, making their stance clear about the ongoing crisis.
"We attack people who have nothing, who are looking for help. Just sit down, and question yourself, why do we do stuff like that?" former Germany international Gerald Asamoah said in the video, citing the attacks on refugee homes. "Stand up if you are human!"
Bayern Munich agreed plans to assist refugees
Borussia Dortmund’s fierce rivals Bayern Munich displayed a huge banner at the Allianz Arena on Saturday – a message directed at German politicians and the public:
"Stirring up hatred against penniless Greeks and refugees. The problem's called racism. Racism out of the heads."
The Bavarians have announced an initiative to try and aid migrant integration in the company – providing young refugees the chance to train at the club.
In a club statement, Bayern outlined how they plan to invest €1 million into refugee projects as well as holding a training camp for young migrant children.
There have been other top clubs in German Bundesliga who have invited the refugees, but the activities have been kept on low-profile.