While Bayern’s men captained by Joshua Kimmich wore the club initiative ‘Red against Racism’ on their shirts for the first time, there were further visible signs of the club’s commitment to diversity at the FC Bayern Women and Basketball’s matches, as well as a joint workshop for members of both clubs with St. Pauli at the FC Bayern Campus. As part of the DFL’s ‘Together. Stop Hate. Be a Team!’ campaign matchday, the weekend was once again characterised by a commitment to tolerance and open-mindedness to mark the International Weeks Against Racism. “Our jerseys have many colours and no room for exclusion,” summarised FCB president Herbert Hainer. “Team spirit, sporting spirit knows no differences, no skin colour. Diversity is not a trend. It should be a matter of course.”
United in social commitment
The overarching motto surrounding the match at the Allianz Arena was ‘Two clubs - one stance’. “We are not always on the same page and we compete for points in sport”, said Hainer about the relationship with St. Pauli. “But we are united in our social commitment.” Five years ago, Bayern launched ‘Red against Racism’ in order to bundle its commitment to diversity and against discrimination of any kind under this initiative, and the guiding theme is ‘Encounters’, the president continued. “It's about more than just printing a slogan on a shirt for a specific occasion. It's about a substantive debate. That's why a workshop like this between two clubs is wonderful. We want to promote encounters, build bridges, overcome boundaries - in anti-racism work, on the topic of remembrance culture, queer hostility or inclusion. There is no room for marginalisation in our society. Bayern plays with heart, not with prejudice.”
Presidents Oke Göttlich (St. Pauli) and Herbert Hainer (Bayern) at the workshop on the FC Bayern Campus. | © Alexandra Beier
Bayern alone received over 300 applications for its 15 of the 30 places at the workshop, which was led by expert Younis Kamil from the ‘ROOTS against racism’ initiative and moderated by Rio Grumbrecht from the ‘Red against Racism’ team. After an introduction by the two ‘Red against Racism’ leaders Benny Folkmann and Andreas Werner, and the presentation of the St. Pauli initiative ‘No Room for Racism’ by Natascha Clasen, an intensive exchange between the members began immediately during the interactive part. “The focus today was on the topic of ‘allyship’ – how members and fans can become active in the stadium, for example, in the event of incidents and support those affected in an emotional situation,” Kamil later explained. “I was pleasantly surprised by how interested everyone remained for over two and a half hours and engaged with the important changes in perspective. The willingness to engage in discussion was also great.”
Hainer and Göttlich in dialogue with members
In the final hour of the event, Hainer and Oke Göttlich, his counterpart from St. Pauli, sat among the participants. The pair were then available to answer questions from members of both clubs at the end of the event. “The fact that the two presidents were here gives the whole thing a lot of appeal and significance and shows how high the topic is on the agenda at both clubs,” praised Kamil, who drew a satisfied conclusion. “I've been doing workshops like this for over 10 years, and experience shows that a good third of the participants usually develop defence mechanisms during the course of the event. That wasn't the case here today. Everyone recognised their blind spots and showed an honest willingness. We feel them, we see them, we deal with them. I thought that was very cool.”
© Alexandra Beier
Hainer and Göttlich later emphasised once again the special relationship between the two clubs. “I’m very grateful to Bayern for this workshop and to everyone involved,” said Göttlich. “That's what our society needs – people discussing issues with each other. Bayern and St Pauli have always had a strong voice on issues such as xenophobia. What belongs together has come together today.” Ever since the “benefit match initiated by Uli Hoeneß at the Millerntor in 2003, there has been a strong connection between our clubs,” added Hainer, who took his counterpart and his vice-president Hanna Obersteller to the game at the Allianz Arena as a carpool. “One thing that’s clear is that with what the two clubs have achieved today off the pitch, there are basically no losers on this day,” said the FCB president, formulating an appeal with a view to the statements made by coach Vincent Kompany at his press conference the day before. “He reported from his own experience and said that racism is the lack of opportunities. We all have to work together to find the right perspective. And he said that if forces try to push us in the wrong direction, we hopefully have enough strength to counteract them.”
Visible signs against racism
In this context, the numerous visible signs by the club had a lasting effect. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen thanked partner Deutsche Telekom for the strong teamwork regarding the jersey. The FC Bayern Basketball players laid down a marker during the weeks against racism. And the FC Bayern Women provided the harmonious final chord in their 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday by also gathering behind the ‘Red against Racism’ banner together with the visiting club and, like the footballers at the Allianz Arena and the basketball players in the SAP Garden, wearing the special warm-up shirts.
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