A special occasion with a special guest in attendance. Just a few hours before Germany's first group game at the EURO 2016 against the Ukraine, Daniel Nivel was invited to a reception with the DFB in Lille. The former French constable was brutally attacked by German Hooligans at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Nivel accepted the invitation by the German Football Association and came with his wife, two sons and one grandchild. He will also join the DFB delegation and attend the game in the stadium on Sunday evening - very much to the delight of DFB President Reinhard Grindel: "It means a lot to us that Daniel Nivel accepted our invitation and that he appreciated our gesture of hosting him. We never forgot what Germans did to him and how much suffering he and his family had to go through because of it. It was important for us to tell him in person, that we will continue to be there for him in the future through the Daniel Nivel Foundation. His fate should serve as a warning to all of us in regard to the current ongoing events. Something like this should never happen again."
Nivel was brutally attacked on June 21st 1998 at the Felix Bollaert Stadium during Germany's World Cup group match with Yugoslavia - four of the attackers later received jail sentences ranging between three-and-half and ten years. Nivel is still visibly affected by the attack and unable to work. The 61-year-old lives with his wife Arras approximately 50km away from Lille. The Daniel Nivel Foundation was established in 2000. The foundation attempts to contain violence, researches the causes for violence in football and helps the victims.
A special occasion with a special guest in attendance. Just a few hours before Germany's first group game at the EURO 2016 against the Ukraine, Daniel Nivel was invited to a reception with the DFB in Lille. The former French constable was brutally attacked by German Hooligans at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Nivel accepted the invitation by the German Football Association and came with his wife, two sons and one grandchild. He will also join the DFB delegation and attend the game in the stadium on Sunday evening - very much to the delight of DFB President Reinhard Grindel: "It means a lot to us that Daniel Nivel accepted our invitation and that he appreciated our gesture of hosting him. We never forgot what Germans did to him and how much suffering he and his family had to go through because of it. It was important for us to tell him in person, that we will continue to be there for him in the future through the Daniel Nivel Foundation. His fate should serve as a warning to all of us in regard to the current ongoing events. Something like this should never happen again."
Nivel was brutally attacked on June 21st 1998 at the Felix Bollaert Stadium during Germany's World Cup group match with Yugoslavia - four of the attackers later received jail sentences ranging between three-and-half and ten years. Nivel is still visibly affected by the attack and unable to work. The 61-year-old lives with his wife Arras approximately 50km away from Lille. The Daniel Nivel Foundation was established in 2000. The foundation attempts to contain violence, researches the causes for violence in football and helps the victims.
