FC Bayern Munich has received the honorary 'German Football Ambassador Award 2021'. The award ceremony took place on Wednesday evening this week at Deutsche Telekom's representative office in Berlin.
Since 2002, the German Football Ambassador Association has been honouring German football coaches, players and football organisations that contribute or have contributed in a special way to Germany's positive image abroad through their commitment and conduct. The prize is sponsored by the Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, kicker sports magazine, Telekom and the Sky TV channel, among others. Previous award winners include Jürgen Klopp, Dettmar Cramer, Holger Obermann, Rudi Gutendorf and Leon Goretzka/Joshua Kimmich.
FC Bayern was honoured for an outstanding sporting 2020, in which the team won six titles, including the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, which was held in the same season. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge accepted the award on behalf of FC Bayern and thanked the players and the coaching team. Rummenigge was CEO of FC Bayern in 2020 and handed over the role to Oliver Kahn in the summer of 2021.
"As a club team, FC Bayern Munich stands for football made in Germany - and does it all over the world," the jury's statement read. "Due to its successes, the club has enjoyed an enormous appeal abroad for decades and ensures a positive image of Germany in the world of football." But it is not only the successes on the pitch that are impressive. FC Bayern has a social commitment that contributes significantly to the image of a first-class club. In his laudatory speech, Dietmar Hamann, a football expert for Sky and a former FC Bayern player himself, highlighted FC Bayern's sustainable approach, both economically and socially.
"On behalf of FC Bayern, I would like to thank the jury of the 'German Football Ambassador'" said FC Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn. "We are very pleased to have been honoured for the combination of sporting success and social commitment. Economic, ecological and social sustainability are central tasks for our society that have to be redefined time and again, and we will continue to do this as we have done in the past."
The 'German Football Ambassador Public Award 2021' was presented to Germany player Kai Havertz of Chelsea, while coach Uli Stielike received the 'German Football Ambassador 2021' award.
At the beginning of the month, CEO Oliver Kahn presented FC Bayern's new mission statement:
