When you have a birthday, you celebrate it with your family. So on the 122nd anniversary of its founding, FC Bayern invited 40 members and fans to a brunch at the club's 1900 home on FCB Campus on Sunday. Europe is experiencing a very difficult time right now, but an important characteristic of FC Bayern has always been, as President Herbert Hainer said in welcoming the guests, "that we are there for our fans." The club is not just about sporting and financial success, "but also about family.”
Hainer was joined by his fellow club committee members Prof. Dr. Dieter Mayer and Walter Mennekes, as well as club legends Giovane Elber, Raimond Aumann and Steffen Hamann. More than 13,000 members had applied for the brunch, 20 were drawn by lot and were each able to attend with an accompanying person. "What luck," said Diana Lange from Munich. "The idea alone is great - and so is the atmosphere here. To bring us fans along like this is unique."
The Bayern fans sat together for three hours, with stadium announcer Stephan Lehmann hosting the event. During the brunch, the fans collected autographs and diligently took souvenir photos. The conversations naturally revolved around their mutual love of FC Bayern. Franz Josef Förster from Cologne estimated that he’s by now driven around 180,000 km for his club. Brigitte Winkens from Munich has been a member for almost 46 years, Karl Pfitscher from South Tyrol almost 44 years. Both chatted animatedly with President Hainer. In a quiz, Steffen Hamann's table beat the lot. And when two members - Karin Zieris und the aforementioned Karl Pfitscher - who share a birthday with FC Bayern on February 27, were surprised with cakes and gifts, everyone sang "Happy Birthday".
A quiz was held to test the expertise of those present.
"I thought the event was very nice and I'm sure our members enjoyed it too," said Herbert Hainer, "It's nice to have that Bayern togetherness with our fans." Elber was also enthusiastic: "This is simply how our FC Bayern ticks. The 'Mia san mia' doesn't come out of nowhere, it's part of this club. You saw that again today."
22 special moments from 122 years of FC Bayern:
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