From now on, when the team lineup is read out at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Bavaria (Germany), the Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich and their Coach Thomas Tuchel will present their names in sign language in videos on the stadium display board.
‘FC Bayern Munich’ stated that the signs were developed by the deaf fan club ‘Red Deaf’ together with the German record champions as part of the ‘Red against Racism’ initiative. In the next step, the project will also be implemented with the FC Bayern Women and the FC Bayern Basketball players. The fan club members also created signs for ‘Mia san Mia’ (‘We Are Who We Are’) and ‘Red against Racism’.
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full color changing exterior. It serves as the home arena of the FC Bayern Munich.
FC Bayern, Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria (Germany). It is best known for its professional men’s football team, which plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system.
FC Bayern Frauen is a German professional women’s football team based in Munich, Bavaria. They currently play in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the top women’s league in Germany. The 2,500-capacity FC Bayern Campus in Munich serves as their home ground.
FC Bayern München Basketball GmbH, commonly referred to as Bayern Munich, is a professional basketball club, a part of the FC Bayern Munich sports club, based in Munich, Germany. The club competes domestically in the Basketball Bundesliga and internationally in the EuroLeague (he top-tier men’s league in Europe). The 6,700-capacity BMW Park in Munich, Germany, serves as their residence.
‘FC Bayern Munich’ quoted Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern President, as stating, “It was important to us that the signs for our players come directly from the FC Bayern fans. This joint project is intended to broaden perspectives and provide encouragement. Inclusion is an important task in our society, and sport in particular can do a lot to bring people together.”
Stated Manuel Neuer, FC Bayern Captain, “We’re very proud that the FC Bayern fans have developed special signs for us players. No one should feel excluded here, a sports club should always be a home for everyone. I’m glad I now have my own sign and would love it if all fans remembered the signs to improve communication and with it the integration of people with hearing disabilities.”
Added Martina Bechtold, Chairwoman of the Red Deaf FC Bayern fan club, “It’s been a pleasure for us to have developed signs for the players of FC Bayern. FC Bayern is a big family and we now feel even more a part of this community through this joint project. We’ve been thinking about the signs for many months, and it’s been a special experience implementing the project together with the players. We can now feel yet again: Mia san Mia!”
Stated Kim Krämer, FC Bayern disabled fans’ representative, “This joint project between FC Bayern and fans with hearing disabilities is another wonderful example of how inclusion is lived and breathed at this club. It’s a great signal that the signs for the players were developed by the fans themselves. This is how you promote togetherness and a sense of community. FC Bayern is a home for everyone.”
The meanings of the individual signs
Goal
- Manuel Neuer: New
- Sven Ulreich: His hairstyle
- Tom Ritzy Hülsmann: Husk + man
Defence
- Dayot Upamecano: Defence
- Minjae Kim: Size
- Matthijs de Ligt: Jersey Number 4
- Benjamin Pavard: Curls
- Alphonso Davies: Speed
- Bouna Sarr: Earring
- Raphaël Guerreiro: Chin shape
- Tarek Buchmann: Book + man
- Noussair Mazraoui: Goatee
Midfield
- Joshua Kimmich: Raised eyebrow
- Leon Goretzka: Muscle mass
- Paul Wanner: His hairstyle + letter W
- Konrad Laimer: Glue
- Ryan Gravenberch: Broad smile
- Jamal Musiala: His goal celebration
Attack
- Serge Gnabry: His goal celebration
- Harry Kane: His hairstyle
- Leroy Sané: Hair band
- Kingsley Coman: Outside lane/overtaking lane
- Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: His goal celebration ‘Ça donne’
- Thomas Müller: Profession – miller
- Gabriel Vidović: His hairstyle
- Mathys Tel: Pony tail
- Arijon Ibrahimović: Buzz cut
Coach
Thomas Tuchel: Cap
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