The atmosphere at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday afternoon was a little different from normal, as a half-hour documentary film on Bayern's honorary president Kurt Landauer was shown in the FC Bayern Erlebniswelt in the run-up to Bayern's first home match of the year against Eintracht Frankfurt. "Impressive," concluded the guests and journalists who were invited to the pre-screening of the documentary, which will accompany the ARD feature film "Landauer" in Autumn 2014. The film answers many questions surrounding the person who made the treble winners what they are today.
Landauer was the focus of a memorial weekend at the FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, organised by FC Bayern as part of the worldwide Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration. Over the course of two days the club made its stance against anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia clear to regular visitors (Saturday) and invited guests and journalists (Sunday). More than 300 visitors came to Germany's largest club museum to remember the victims of the Nazi regime, 69 years after the release of the prisoners held in the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
"For the first time, FC Bayern really shone like a star," commented Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, remembering the club's maiden German championship triumph in 1932, overseen by former president Landauer. "He started taking a professional approach to many things including finances," Rummenigge emphasised.
The memorial weekend was rounded off with a spectacular terrace choreography orchestrated by FCB fans just before kick-off against Frankfurt. Landauer's quote, "FC Bayern and I just belong together, and are inseparable," was emblazoned on two banners in the south terrace, alongside another colossal banner featuring Landauer's portrait. The message sent over the course of this weekend - which will be remembered for the rest of the year - is clear: NEVER AGAIN!
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