Borussia Dortmund will receive special honors on Thursday on the sidelines of the Champions League draw for their efforts to combat racism and refugee rights, UEFA said.
While Europe's stadiums are witnessing racist chants from top players, the latest being Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Manchester United's Paul Pogba, the Signal Iduna Park stadium is clean of chants for the German club's role in fighting racism, social roles and attitudes. Humanity performs in addition to sports work, so that the audience of the club raises the slogan in German: "Echte Liebe" means "true love" and adorned with yellow and black scarfs.
"Social commitment is very important for Borussia Dortmund. We are delighted to appreciate this through the UEFA award," Borussia Dortmund chief executive Heinz Joachim, who will receive the award on Thursday in Monaco, was quoted as saying by German media.
For its part, the European Union said on its website: "Dortmund is famous for its long struggle against racism, in addition to its clear position towards the rights of refugees and asylum seekers."
Dortmund, despite having a large audience, may seem difficult to control their negative emotions, given the near-constant superiority of arch-rivals Bayern Munich, but in fact the supporters of the club prove otherwise. A recent study by the International Institute for Mathematical Studies Borussia Dortmund tops the list of the most loyal clubs in the world, with an attendance rate of 80 thousand spectators per game between 2013 to 2018, followed by Manchester United (75 thousand), Barcelona of Spain (74 thousand), and Bayern Munich (73 thousand) , Spanish Real Madrid (69 thousand).
Founded in 1909, Borussia Dortmund is headquartered in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.