Vice presidents Mayer and Mennekes visit Homeless World Cup team

FC Bayern is a home for everyone – that's why it was important to the German record champions to attend a special engagement on their Audi Summer Tour in Seoul. Together with Noussair Mazraoui and FCB legend Raimond Aumann, the two vice presidents Professor Dr Dieter Mayer and Walter Mennekes visited the South Korean Homeless World Cup Team, which will take part in this year's official football World Cup for people without a home, in the absence of president Herbert Hainer, who has stayed at home for family reasons. The meeting took place on the "adidas Base" rooftop football pitch in the heart of Seoul, where the German record champions are currently organising their Youth Cup. The FCB delegation also paid a visit to the junior teams.

Mayer: Our club wants to offer everyone a home

"We're very proud that we as FC Bayern get to meet the Homeless World Cup team of South Korea here," said Mayer by the side of the training pitch. "For decades, our club has been characterised by the fact that it always looks out for people who are less fortunate. Presidents such as Uli Hoeneß and Franz Beckenbauer embedded the social conscience in the club's DNA, and our current leadership around Herbert Hainer are continuing this tradition. The Homeless World Cup helps to improve the prospects of the people affected. Football unites and creates a feeling of community – and our club wants to offer everyone a home."

Second vice president Mennekes highlighted at the event that FC Bayern "also regularly aids the Munich food bank in our home city, not least through our FC Bayern basketball team, which specifically targets disadvantaged people. We are also committed to combating discrimination and marginalisation of all kinds with our 'Red against Racism' initiative." The Homeless World Cup "draws attention to an important issue", Mennekes continued. "According to Human Rights Watch, over 100 million people worldwide are currently homeless, and the hidden figure is certainly much higher. We can generate awareness and solidarity through sport. FC Bayern wants to do its bit here."

Mazraoui performs autographs and selfies

In advance, Mazraoui watched a documentary about the Homeless World Cup and explained: "I'm glad to be able to visit this team. It's important that a club like FC Bayern highlights such issues." The Moroccan international along with former FCB captain Aumann made themselves widely available for selfies and autographs, while the vice presidents presented organiser James McMeekin with a Minjae Kim-signed away jersey to applause from the team. "It's the FC Bayern philosophy to also care for those in difficulty," said 1990 World Cup winner Aumann. "That's something else that has made our club so special for decades."

Homeless World Cup held since 2003

The Homeless World Cup is an international and inclusive street football tournament, supported by the UN and UEFA, which has been staged every year since 2003 and is designed to help people without a home to reintegrate in society. It's open to male and female players aged 16 over who are at least temporarily homeless according to their country's definition, are on an alcohol or drugs rehabilitation programme, or are an asylum seeker awaiting positive or negative status.

Supporters include football greats such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Eric Cantona. The tournament has taken place in cities such as Cape Town, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Sacramento and Milan. According to organiser McMeekin, over 1.2 million people have taken part in 65 teams from over 70 countries each year, from Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Namibia, Germany and Italy to Zambia and Zimbabwe. The South Korean team has been taking part since the 2010 edition in Rio de Janeiro. Its greatest successes: 19th place in 2023, best newcomer in 2010 and the Fair Play Awards in 2014 and 2018. "We are very grateful to FC Bayern for this visit," said McMeekin. "When a global club like this gets involved in this issue, it gives support and courage to people who are unfortunately very often marginalised in our society around the world."