Bayern Munich launched a campaign against racism in football on Thursday, with the sale of T-shirts and statements by its leaders and stars against an increasingly visible scourge in stadiums. “Our stadiums are increasingly used as stands by isolated individuals. This should not give the impression that the majority thinks like them, says club boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. It is high time to send a clear signal. ”
"We are the largest club in the world," he continues, "we are entitled to expect us to display our colors: FC Bayern stands up against racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination of all kinds ( …) Those who do not agree with this have made the wrong club ”. In terms of turnover, Bayern is actually the fourth club in the world, according to the latest ranking from Deloitte for the 2018-2019 season, behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
"Red card to racism"
Several club stars, including Thomas Müller, Serge Gnabry and Manuel Neuer, sign a ticket on the website to testify to their experience and their opinion with regard to racism. This campaign, planned for a long time, is not linked to the events of the last week, but of course echoes it: Bayern fans had displayed a banner calling "son of a bitch" the president of Hoffenheim Dietmar Hopp, patron billionaire whom they blame for being the standard bearer of a football business doomed to gemonies.
The club will sell T-shirts flocked with the slogan "Rot gegen Rassismus" (red card to racism) and the profits will be donated to associations engaged in the fight for integration and tolerance. Like other European championships, the Bundesliga has been marked in recent months by several racist incidents, which have taken on enormous resonance in society and the media, which have become extremely sensitive to the subject.
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VIDEO. Hoffenheim-Bayern: Players boycott the last quarter of an hour after insulting banners
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