To mark the International Weeks against Racism, FC Bayern and its professional men's and women's football and basketball teams will be implementing the ‘A Voice for Diversity’ project this year as part of its ‘Red against Racism’ campaign, and for the first time at the match against Mainz at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Together with Munich-based organisation ‘buntkicktgut’, people with a migrant background will be involved in reading out the respective team line-ups and will have inspiring stories to tell about their personal lives and the topic of integration. Together with the fans in the stands, the club aims to use this approach to speak out loudly and with one voice in favour of enriching diversity and the rights and opportunities of all people.
Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern president: “We need a common voice in order to stand up for diversity and the values of our society. Understanding each other is literally the foundation, the first step towards successful integration. Everyone can and must play their part in this. We want to be loud together and make it clear once again with our fans as FC Bayern that marginalisation has no place in our world and that diversity enriches us. We are more!”
Rüdiger Heid, founder of ‘buntkicktgut’: “With this interplay between its 'Red against Racism' campaign and 'buntkicktgut', FC Bayern is once again showing how important its social responsibility is to the club. ‘A Voice for Diversity' gives people a chance to be recognised who would otherwise not be heard, but who have found their place in the heart of our society through impressive and often rocky paths. They are representative of how there is room for development and diversity for everyone in an open society.”
As in previous years, FC Bayern’s teams will be sending out further visible signs of open-mindedness in the coming weeks, for example with warm-up shirts, captain's armbands, corner flags or banners. And before kick-off on Saturday, Manuel Neuer and his team will be joining the Mainz squad in positioning themselves behind the message ‘Red against Racism’. During the International Weeks against Racism, the German Football League (DFL) wants to raise awareness among fans with the ‘Together’ diversity initiative.
‘buntkicktgut’ has been campaigning against discrimination, marginalisation, hate speech and hatred for over 25 years. The organisation uses football to make diversity tangible, visible and alive in intercultural street football leagues with children, young people and their partners. The stories of the people selected for the ‘A Voice for Diversity’ campaign are told in short profile pieces, including in FC Bayern members' magazine ‘51’. Since the campaign was founded in March 2020, the proceeds from the purchase of all products from the ‘Red against Racism’ collection in FC Bayern Stores and the FC Bayern online store HERE have been donated to organisations that promote diversity.
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