Schalke to host Bayern München in charity match at the VELTINS-Arena

Peter Knäbel, S04 Board Member for Sport and Communication, said: “We can hardly imagine the pain and despair of those affected by the flooding who are fighting for their livelihoods. That makes it all the more impressive how quickly they have started to look to the future and tackled the task at hand by freeing their towns and villages, piece by piece, from the destruction caused by the flood. FC Schalke 04 will support these efforts in order to alleviate the material suffering, to a certain extent. The charity match will play a key role in these efforts. I would like to say thank you to FC Bayern at this time. Both clubs are sending an important message to the affected areas, saying ‘you are not alone.’

Herbert Hainer, president of FC Bayern, said: “The images of the flooding shocked us all. We have to stand together as a society when such terrible events occur. Football is defined by solidarity and social responsibility. We can only imagine what the people in the affected areas have gone through and what they are still dealing with. Through our charity match, as well as the donation from the Hilfe eV, we want to support them. FC Bayern stands in solidarity with the flood victims. I want to thank FC Schalke 04, who immediately agreed to take part in our initiative. Together, through the charity match, we will remember those who lost their lives through this tragedy.”

The Royal Blues have also decided to auction off the match-worn shirts from the season opener against Hamburger SV (23/7). The shirts will be auctioned off via the United Charity website, and will each be signed by the respective player. The proceeds from the auction will be donated to the ‘Deutschland Hilft’ initiative. The alliance of renowned German aid associations provides quick and sustainable aid to those in the flooded areas. The auction will take place in the coming weeks on unitedcharity.de. The exact date and further information will be announced by the club in due course.

“FC Schalke 04 would like to use its influence in order to support the flood victims as best as possible,” said Peter Knäbel. “We are hoping that the auction will result in a large donation to the ‘Deutschland Hilft’ initiative, which will then be distributed as quickly as possible to those in need.”