FC Bayern München will play a charity match against FC Schalke 04 at the Veltins Arena, and, dependent on the proceeds, will donate at least €1 million to the flood victims from North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Because the meeting with Schalke is not yet scheduled but both clubs agree that the people whose livelihood have been threatened by last week’s flood disaster need financial help urgently, FC Bayern will guarantee the €1m in aid now and deliver it in the coming days. In addition, FC Bayern Hilfe eV will donate a further €100,000 to those affected by the storm in Bavaria.
After consultation with the three affected state governments, FC Bayern will turn to charities that are already active in the crisis areas and distribute the money in an unbureaucratic and swift manner to households in need. The exact date of the charity match will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The images of the flood disaster shocked us,” said FC Bayern München president Herbert Hainer. “We have to stand together as a society in such a terrible situation. Football also relies very much on solidarity and social responsibility. We can only imagine what the people in the affected regions have gone through and are still going through. With our charity match as well as the donation from the Hilfe eV, we want to support them. FC Bayern stands in solidarity with the flood victims. I want to thank FC Schalke 04, who immediately agreed to take part in our initiative. Together, through the charity match, we will also commemorate the people who have lost their lives in such tragic fashion in the storm.”
Peter Knäbel, FC Schalke 04 board member for sport and communication, commented: “We can barely imagine the pain and the despair of the people who live in the flood areas and who are fighting for their livelihoods. That makes it all the more impressive how quickly they have looked to the future, tackled the task at hand and, piece by piece, freed their towns and villages from the severe devastation caused by the flood. FC Schalke 04 will actively support these efforts in order to at least alleviate the material suffering to a certain extent. The charity match will play a very central role in this - at this point, a big thank you to FC Bayern. Both clubs are sending an important message to the flooded areas: You are not alone.”
On the occasion of the friendly against 1. FC Köln, FC Bayern already donated €100,000 to the victims of the flood disaster in Germany together with their opponents and their partner Telekom:
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