FC Bayern ambassador Giovane Elber travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city and its economic centre, at the invitation of regional partner Häfele, and it was clear on landing that the record German champions already have a lot of supporters in the country. The 2001 Champions League winner was greeted by around 70 fans and members of the local fan club. The following day, over 1,200 fans came to the fan party at the Hoa Lu Stadium to see Elber and Vietnamese football legend Nguyen Anh Duc on the pitch. There were also plenty of opportunities for interviews, autographs, photos and selfies. In the evening, Häfele invited around 300 guests to the German House, where they could enjoy a diverse programme.
Ethiopia trip
In mid-April, Jörg Wacker and Elber accompanied the delegation of Minister President of Bavaria Dr. Markus Söder to Ethiopia. As well as the opening of the FC Bayern Football School in Addis Ababa, they also visited the German Church School, a refugee camp and took part in the official opening of the Bavarian representative office. Elber thrilled fans with an autograph session at the adidas store and was a welcome guest on a number of TV shows.
Siemens and FC Bayern in the USA
FC Bayern are taking part in the “Wunderbar Together” initiative of the German Embassy, the BDI (Federation of German Industry) and the Goethe Institute as part of “Germany Year” in the USA. FCB are enriching a bus tour that has covered almost 30,000km through 48 American states, with multimedia greetings from U19 defender Chris Richards, who tells children and young people at American schools of his first experiences in Germany. Bayern are also participating in another mobile format of the “Germany Year”. Together with Siemens, FCB was part of the Pop-Up Tour, in which business, culture and civil society provide a comprehensive insight into contemporary Germany.
FC Bayern Youth Cup in China
On the weekend of 5-7 April, young talented players were allowed to show their skills at the final of the FC Bayern Youth Cup at the FC Bayern Football School in Qingdao. Thanks to the cooperation with the Ministry of Education in China, more than 1,400 young people had the chance to qualify for the final in Qingdao at the regional summer and winter camps. FC Bayern supported these camps with a total of ten coach visits. Elber travelled to Qingdao for the final, to attend the festivities and to train with the youngsters. Ten of them will have the opportunity to represent Team China at the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Final on 19 May at the Allianz Arena.
Youth Cup Germany final at Säbener Straße
The opponents of the Chinese team will be the selected teams from India, Nigeria, Thailand, Singapore, the USA and Germany. On Sunday, 14 April, team and players of the intercultural street football leagues of buntkicktgut gathered at Säbener Straße for the final of the FC Bayern Youth Cup Germany. For the approximately 100 players it was all about convincing World Cup winner Klaus Augenthaler of their talent to be nominated for one of the ten coveted places in Team Germany.