Sunday, June 4 2006

Museum honours Jewish footballers

BERLIN: To coincide with the World Cup, Berlin's Jewish Museum is putting on an exhibition in honour of Jewish heroes of German football who were persecuted by the Nazis.

It remembers men like Julius Hirsch, a gifted striker for Karlsruhe FV and the German national side, who died in the Auschwitz death camp in 1943.

Their pictures and achievements are displayed on posters mounted on a mock football field in the museum's garden.

Also featured is Gottfried Fuchs who scored a record ten goals in one match against Russia in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm.

Fuchs fled to Canada to escape the Nazis and turned down an invitation after World War II to join Karlruhe FV, telling the club: “You killed Julius Hirsch.”

The exhibition will run until September 30. (AFP)



African charity tram



BERLIN: Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o and Togolese midfielder Yao Aziawonou were among the first people to take a tram that will transport commuters through Berlin for free during the World Cup in return for a donation to pro-African charities.

The free tram rides form part of a campaign called “Together for Africa” that will run throughout the month-long tournament.

“People in Europe know Africa only from television images showing civil wars. Initiatives like this will change that,” said Aziawonou, who plays for the Swiss club Young Boys Bern.

Angola,p Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Tunisia are the five African nations that have qualified for the World Cup. (AFP)



Hooligans banned



BERLIN: Police in the northern German city of Hanover, which is hosting five World Cup matches, on Tuesday said 51 known German hooligans have been banned not only from the stadium here but from the city centre.

The football fans with a reputation for violence concerned have all been personally informed of the decision, said the deputy chief of police in Hanover, Uwe Luehrig.

They will not be allowed in the vicinity of the stadium or in a two-kilometre (1.2-mile) area downtown that has been reserved for fans.

Those who flaunt the ban will be charged a hefty fine or locked up for up to nine days, Luehrig said.

(AFP)