Celebrating football at the German Club

Football fever surrounded the German Club on Saturday and the German embassy celebrated the 50th anniversary of Bundesliga as well as the wonderful occasion of the all-German Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, which was shown on the giant screen on the club’s premises.   A good number of German expatriates gathered to hail the spirit of the German football  and among them Nick Low, the acting  British High Commissioner graced the occasion with his in-depth knowledge of the football and the lively panel discussion anchored by Dr. Ralf Reusch, the charge d affairs of the German embassy. Former Bangladesh national captain Hasan al Mamun and Marc Oliver, another German embassy official, discussed why Bundesliga is special and speculated whether the all- German final might hail in a new era in European football.    An interesting fact is that Germany won the World Cup in 1954 before the Bundesliga was even born. The Bundesliga began in the 1962-63 season, compiling the teams of five regions of Germany. Before that, each region had run their own leagues.    Dr. Reusch was in nostalgic mood and revealed how the league has become bigger over the years. “Nowadays, the German football infrastructure is among the best of the world, football has grown up in Germany. Football was a popular game from early on, and the German sports landscape is dotted with hundreds of clubs that are the longtime feature German sports.   “This year the average attendance of Bundesliga match is 42 thousand and it proves how big it has grown,” said Reusch. Nick Low talked about the financial situation of the game. “The players wage cap has been discussed but it is very hard to implement. Moreover, the global game has been reaching the global audience. This year the TV rights of the EPL was 1.9 billion. However, Fifa’s Fair Play policy in all financial aspects of football is important,” said Low.   Hasan al Mamun showered praise upon Otto Pfister, the German coach of Bangladesh who guided the national team to their first overseas title in 1995 at Myanmar. “Work hard and give your best was the motto of Pfister, who was my first coach, I still remember the lessons he taught me,” said Hasan.    The programme was marked with shooting competitions, table top football and a documentary show.