16th Day of Remembrance in German Football

The 27 January 2020 was the 75th anniversary of the day when the survivors of Auschwitz concentration camp were liberated by the Red Army. As part of the "Day of Remembrance in German Football," the DFL and the clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 will commemorate the victims of National Socialism on Matchdays 19 and 20. The Day of Remembrance was launched 16 years ago by the "!Never again" initiative, which takes its name from a declaration made by the survivors of the former concentration camp Dachau.

The purpose of the day is to remind the football family that people from its own circles were pursued and murdered by the National Socialists. Football played its own part in facilitating this gruesome crime. The exclusion – and therefore the abandonment – of Jewish and Communist club members, which was very often celebrated as a success in club news reports, will never be forgotten. In addition to the Jewish people, political opponents and other ostracised groups, the German and European Sinti and Roma were subjected to a dreadful persecution during the Nazi era. Hundreds of thousands fell victim to the extermination policy of the Nazis, with more than 20,000 of them murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp alone.

In this era of increasing populism – both in Germany and its fellow European countries – it is even more pivotal that we reflect on our shared European values and embrace democracy and tolerance. This commitment is without alternative. The football family understands this. More and more fans and fan projects, amateur and professional football clubs, football associations and civic initiatives are working with imagination and courage to ensure a community that respects human rights and a society that is both open and caring. The Jewish football pioneer Walther Bensemann, the initiator and co-founder of many German football clubs and the founder of the German sports magazine "Kicker", also worked to that end. In 1923, he penned a piece in the sports magazine in which he advocated a model to combat Nationalism Socialist and militarism: the United States of Europe. He was convinced that football could make a contribution to ensuring peace and tolerance in Germany and Europe. On the "Day of Remembrance in German Football" in 2020, a year in which the European Football Championships take place, we shall adhere to this European vision. Walther Bensemann showed us the way with his social involvement, his motivation and the organisation of the "International Football Peace Trophies". On the "16th Day of Remembrance in German Football", we feel deeply committed to "the high ethics of the wider community". These ethics apply for all humans worldwide. They have been anchored in football since its early days. "!Never again" is a powerful intervention. We owe it to the victims and the survivors of Auschwitz, to ourselves and to Europe.