Bayern Munich is to set up a "training camp" for refugees coming into Germany and will donate €1M ($1.11M) for refugee projects, according to the BBC. The Bundesliga champions plan to provide "food, German lessons and football equipment for children." Club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said, "Bayern sees it as its social responsibility to help the refugees." The number of migrants entering Europe has reached "record levels this year, largely driven by the conflict in Syria." Germany expects to take in 800,000 asylum seekers this year -- four times last year's total. German football expert Raphael Honigstein said, "The Germany refugee crisis situation plays out in city centers across the country. ... You have to take your hat off to fans' groups who have seen this and decided they need to show whose side they are on. You have clubs all over Germany who organize games with refugees, even before this latest wave of refugees. It's a real grassroots movement" (BBC, 9/3). REUTERS reported Bayern's youth academy will "set up the training camp for children in conjunction with the city of Munich." The senior team will be accompanied by children when it enters the pitch for its next home game against Augsburg on Sept. 12, with the club "also planning a friendly" with €1M of revenue going toward helping migrants. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said, "FC Bayern is taking a stand and I am happy about the club's involvement. That is why I happily approved the city's support" (REUTERS, 9/3).
