MUNICH - Bayern Munich are donating another €350,000 ($384,000) to amateur clubs in their home state of Bavaria to
help them through the coronavirus crisis, the Bundesliga champions
said on Thursday.
Bayern said that the 35 fifth-tier Bayernliga clubs will receive €10,000 each from money made available by fans who waived ticket
refunds for home matches now played behind closed doors because of
the pandemic.
The waived refunds all go to the club's Hilfe eV charity, which last
week made €460,000 available for all Bavarian fourth-tier teams
and the state's sports association.
"It's a wonderful sign of solidarity," Hilfe eV CEO Karl Hopfner said
in a club statement.
"Football is an essential part of social life. At the clubs, children
and youths learn fundamental values such as team spirit, respect and
tolerance. It is very important to us that, together with our fans,
we can use these funds to help stabilise the football landscape in
Bavaria in these difficult times during the pandemic."
Together with the other three Champions League teams Borussia
Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern have also donated
20 million euros to create a solidarity fund for professional teams
affected by the outbreak.