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When Germany play Armenia in their final World Cup warm-up match on Friday (live on ZDF from 20:45 CET), the actual host will be Eugen Gehlenborg. The DFB Vice President for Sociopolitical Issues is also chair of the DFB’s Egidius Braun Foundation, which officially organises the international benefit match. The game in Mainz is expected to raise several million euros for worthy causes.
In DFB.de's- Interview of the Week, 66-year-old Gehlenborg spoke with reporter Thomas Hackbarth about the proceeds from this international benefit match and how they are distributed, and discussed how social action is an integral part of football.
DFB.de: Germany are seeking to become world champions, an ambition that will hopefully be fulfilled at the Maracana Stadium. Looking further ahead, what ambitions should football be aiming for after 13 July?
Eugen Gehlenborg: The whole of Germany is looking forward to this World Cup. We can use this wave of emotion to introduce people to other important issues such as fair play, volunteering and respect. You can reach an unbelievable amount of people very directly through football. The DFB has not been alone in committing to social and sociopolitical issues for some time now. There has been so much development in recent years, and nowadays almost every Bundesliga club is active in this area. The DFL (German League Association) emphasises how important social action is. Football doesn’t just take place on the pitch anymore; the whole experience that goes with it is just as crucial.
DFB.de: Integration is an important issue in your field, particularly as a fifth of people playing football in Germany have a migrant background – a greater proportion than in German society as a whole.
Gehlenborg: There is currently a lot of demand for movement across borders, and Germany’s economic performance means hundreds of thousands of people are coming to our country. The question “Where do I truly feel at home?” is an important one for many people. The global popularity of football can provide an answer here, as can our football clubs. As part of training programmes during my time in the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture, we looked after immigrants from Belarus who could not speak the language and did not seem motivated to integrate themselves, but just one football course made an incredible difference. Suddenly there was a feeling of team spirit and confidence, and their language skills improved too. People get a real boost as soon as they feel a sense of community.
DFB.de: Let’s move to a more controversial issue now: football and right-wing extremism, discrimination and racism. Is football unequivocal enough on these issues?
Gehlenborg:Definitely, yes. Nils Havemann investigated the history of the DFB under National Socialism, and his study “Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz” (“Football under the Swastika”) unearthed serious transgressions such as the exclusion of Jewish footballers. Towards the end of each year, our U-18s travel to Israel and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial there. Since 2006, the DFB has also awarded the Julius Hirsch Prize every year as a powerful statement against every kind of discrimination. The DFB is in very strong shape in this area.
DFB.de: This Friday’s international benefit match will raise a lot of money, most of which will go to football’s charitable foundations. How much are you expecting to raise, and how will the proceeds be split among the foundations?
Gehlenborg: We are expecting to raise 4.5 million euros. The Egidius Braun Foundation will receive at least half of this amount, while the Bundesliga Foundation will be awarded a further third. We now enjoy trustful, constructive collaboration with the League on social issues, as well as in social initiatives in World Cup host nation Brazil. The remainder of the 4.5 million euros will be donated to the DFB Cultural Foundation and the Sepp Herberger Foundation, who could not do their work were it not for this benefit match. These foundations extend the scope of the DFB’s activities.
DFB.de: Friday’s game will be the 13th international benefit match if you include matches against Bundesliga teams and the Flood Aid matches. How did the idea of donating the proceeds from an international match to charitable foundations once every two years come about?.
Gehlenborg: Former DFB President Egidius Braun originally had the idea. After the attacks on an asylum centre in Rostock and the arson attack on the Genc family in Solingen, he asked his staff to organise a match between the national team and a “rest of the world” Bundesliga side. The match was played under the motto “Mein Freund ist Ausländer” (“Foreigners are my friends”). That was back in 1993, so Friday’s match is part of a proud tradition.
DFB.de: Will the proceeds from the match be enough to enable the foundations to carry out their work for the next two years?
Gehlenborg: Most of the overall total comes from TV revenues, and proceeds from ticket sales were increased again by a presidential board resolution. The foundations have an important ally in DFB Treasurer Reinhard Grindel. He is deeply dedicated to their work and always tries to achieve the best possible result for them.
DFB.de: Could it be that sustainability plays a bigger role in football than many realise? Can the right set of values also be a factor in achieving success?
Gehlenborg: We can achieve an unbelievable amount if we stick together, fulfil our individual potential and support and respect one another. If Beckenbauer hadn’t accepted and respected Katsche Schwarzenbeck, who shouldered so much defensive work alongside him, Bayern and the national team might not have won as many titles as they did.
DFB.de: It’s a good reminder of how something so simple can be so powerful.
Gehlenborg: Absolutely. After all, even a one-two pass isn’t just a technical skill – it has a social dimension too.
created by dfb
[bild1]
When Germany play Armenia in their final World Cup warm-up match on Friday (live on ZDF from 20:45 CET), the actual host will be Eugen Gehlenborg. The DFB Vice President for Sociopolitical Issues is also chair of the DFB’s Egidius Braun Foundation, which officially organises the international benefit match. The game in Mainz is expected to raise several million euros for worthy causes.
In DFB.de's- Interview of the Week, 66-year-old Gehlenborg spoke with reporter Thomas Hackbarth about the proceeds from this international benefit match and how they are distributed, and discussed how social action is an integral part of football.
DFB.de: Germany are seeking to become world champions, an ambition that will hopefully be fulfilled at the Maracana Stadium. Looking further ahead, what ambitions should football be aiming for after 13 July?
Eugen Gehlenborg: The whole of Germany is looking forward to this World Cup. We can use this wave of emotion to introduce people to other important issues such as fair play, volunteering and respect. You can reach an unbelievable amount of people very directly through football. The DFB has not been alone in committing to social and sociopolitical issues for some time now. There has been so much development in recent years, and nowadays almost every Bundesliga club is active in this area. The DFL (German League Association) emphasises how important social action is. Football doesn’t just take place on the pitch anymore; the whole experience that goes with it is just as crucial.
DFB.de: Integration is an important issue in your field, particularly as a fifth of people playing football in Germany have a migrant background – a greater proportion than in German society as a whole.
Gehlenborg: There is currently a lot of demand for movement across borders, and Germany’s economic performance means hundreds of thousands of people are coming to our country. The question “Where do I truly feel at home?” is an important one for many people. The global popularity of football can provide an answer here, as can our football clubs. As part of training programmes during my time in the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture, we looked after immigrants from Belarus who could not speak the language and did not seem motivated to integrate themselves, but just one football course made an incredible difference. Suddenly there was a feeling of team spirit and confidence, and their language skills improved too. People get a real boost as soon as they feel a sense of community.
DFB.de: Let’s move to a more controversial issue now: football and right-wing extremism, discrimination and racism. Is football unequivocal enough on these issues?
Gehlenborg:Definitely, yes. Nils Havemann investigated the history of the DFB under National Socialism, and his study “Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz” (“Football under the Swastika”) unearthed serious transgressions such as the exclusion of Jewish footballers. Towards the end of each year, our U-18s travel to Israel and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial there. Since 2006, the DFB has also awarded the Julius Hirsch Prize every year as a powerful statement against every kind of discrimination. The DFB is in very strong shape in this area.
DFB.de: This Friday’s international benefit match will raise a lot of money, most of which will go to football’s charitable foundations. How much are you expecting to raise, and how will the proceeds be split among the foundations?
Gehlenborg: We are expecting to raise 4.5 million euros. The Egidius Braun Foundation will receive at least half of this amount, while the Bundesliga Foundation will be awarded a further third. We now enjoy trustful, constructive collaboration with the League on social issues, as well as in social initiatives in World Cup host nation Brazil. The remainder of the 4.5 million euros will be donated to the DFB Cultural Foundation and the Sepp Herberger Foundation, who could not do their work were it not for this benefit match. These foundations extend the scope of the DFB’s activities.
DFB.de: Friday’s game will be the 13th international benefit match if you include matches against Bundesliga teams and the Flood Aid matches. How did the idea of donating the proceeds from an international match to charitable foundations once every two years come about?.
Gehlenborg: Former DFB President Egidius Braun originally had the idea. After the attacks on an asylum centre in Rostock and the arson attack on the Genc family in Solingen, he asked his staff to organise a match between the national team and a “rest of the world” Bundesliga side. The match was played under the motto “Mein Freund ist Ausländer” (“Foreigners are my friends”). That was back in 1993, so Friday’s match is part of a proud tradition.
DFB.de: Will the proceeds from the match be enough to enable the foundations to carry out their work for the next two years?
Gehlenborg: Most of the overall total comes from TV revenues, and proceeds from ticket sales were increased again by a presidential board resolution. The foundations have an important ally in DFB Treasurer Reinhard Grindel. He is deeply dedicated to their work and always tries to achieve the best possible result for them.
DFB.de: Could it be that sustainability plays a bigger role in football than many realise? Can the right set of values also be a factor in achieving success?
Gehlenborg: We can achieve an unbelievable amount if we stick together, fulfil our individual potential and support and respect one another. If Beckenbauer hadn’t accepted and respected Katsche Schwarzenbeck, who shouldered so much defensive work alongside him, Bayern and the national team might not have won as many titles as they did.
DFB.de: It’s a good reminder of how something so simple can be so powerful.
Gehlenborg: Absolutely. After all, even a one-two pass isn’t just a technical skill – it has a social dimension too.
