Christian Seifert, Chief Executive Officer of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, is hoping to make a difference in areas hit by the recent floods
Christian Seifert, Chief Executive Officer of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, is hoping to make a difference in areas hit by the recent floods

The DFB and League Association provide relief for flood victims

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Frankfurt - German football has joined forces in aid of victims of the recent flooding across Germany. The DFB Deutsche Fußball-Bund and the League Association have both agreed to provide a 1 Million Euro donation aimed at dealing with the consequences of the recent catastrophe, in particular supporting football clubs that have been affected. This decision came as a result of a DFB board meeting in Frankfurt.

Emergency aid

“We know that with this contribution we can help in isolated instances. The football family would like to demonstrate solidarity with victims of the recent flooding, especially standing behind the smaller clubs, who have sustained a lot of damage, for instance to their club houses and sports grounds, as a result of the flooding catastrophe,” said DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock.

Christian Seifert, Chief Executive Officer of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, went on to explain: “In light of this distress it’s understandable for professional football to want to get involved in a timely and non-bureaucratic manner. We hope, at the very least, to be able to use our contribution for the restoration of certain affected areas.” The distribution of the funds will be handled by the regional associations of the DFB.

Furthermore, the DFB has asked FIFA and the European Football Union (UEFA) for their support. In a letter to DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach, FIFA president Sepp Blatter promised emergency aid amounting to 50,000 Euros and referred to a solidarity fund set-up by FIFA especially for situations relating to natural catastrophes. The FIFA finance committee and its executives will discuss their course of action in the coming days. In a telephone call with the DFB President, UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino pledged 150,000 Euros in emergency aid on behalf of UEFA.