FC Bayern has donated €500,000 to the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation. This amount was raised from the auction of the special jerseys with the inscription "Danke Franz", which the players wore in honour of the Kaiser in the Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim, the sale of merchandising articles and numerous donations from fans. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and CFO Michael Diederich presented the donation cheque to Beckenbauer's widow Heidi and son Joel on Tuesday evening before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
Dreesen: "After Franz Beckenbauer's passing, we said that we wanted to do something. We are delighted and very proud to be able to hand over €500,000 to the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation today. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed. This semi-final against Real Madrid is a wonderful setting. The Allianz Arena is packed and all of us here will never forget Franz Beckenbauer. He, too, delivered historic matches against clubs like Real Madrid. And with him as captain, FC Bayern won the European Cup for the first time exactly 50 years ago. Franz Beckenbauer will always be in the hearts of all of us at FC Bayern."
Heidi Beckenbauer: "On behalf of the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this fantastic donation. Franz has supported people in need over the years. We are very grateful, and it fills us with honour to continue his work with the foundation."
The Bayern fans also dedicated themselves to the memory of the Kaiser in a special way before kick-off as the stadium got in the mood for the clash with Real with a spectacular tifo in the south stand featuring a giant portrait of Beckenbauer and the banner "As a leader on the pitch, known throughout the world".
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