September 25 – Germany’s Euro 2024 bid team have made a point during their campaign of stressing that the country’s entire fan base are behind hosting the event.
Not quite all, it seems.
Just days before the vote in Switzerland on Thursday, VfB Stuttgart’s hard-core section of fans have protested against the German bid even though their stadium is one of the 10 that would host matches
‘United by Football’ is the German slogan in their head-to-head race with Turkey but some Stuttgart fans take a different view.
‘United by money – corrupt in the heart of Europe’, read a giant banner during last week’s goalless Bundesliga draw at home to Fortuna Duesseldorf.
‘Ultras’ fans in Germany, albeit a minority, often criticise the DFB for what is seen as the over commercialisation of football. ‘Good chance to buy another tournament’ read another banner, referring to the scandal over how Germany won the right to stage the 2006 World Cup finals.
Human rights
With precision timing ahead of Thursday’s vote, German bid leaders have issued a reminder of the human rights element of their campaign which could ultimately prove decisive among UEFA’s executive committee voting members.
“With UEFA imposing specific human rights requirements on applicants for the first time, the DFB has decided to proactively develop a concept for respecting human rights,” a statement said.
“This concept will build on the existing activities of the association, notably in the areas of social responsibility and youth work. After months of consultations, the German Football Association will become one of the first national football associations in the world to develop a specific human rights strategy based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
DFB General Secretary Friedrich Curtius commented: “In the future, we want to continue and strengthen our contribution to the respect and promotion of human rights, as we already did during the World Cup in Russia with numerous meetings alongside civil society actors. Together with our comprehensive sustainability concept for UEFA EURO 2024, the development of this own human rights strategy not only represents a milestone for German football, but also sets international standards. In this sense, we look forward to setting a good example and are very happy to share our experience and knowledge with other associations”.
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