Kicking for the nine angels: Munich's moving memorial!

Kicking for the nine angels: Munich's moving memorial!

Last Saturday a very special football tournament was held in the north of Munich. The aim was to keep the memory of the nine people who lost their lives almost nine years ago at the right-wing terrorist attack at the Olympic shopping center (OEZ). This commemorative tournament went under the motto "Kicken for the nine angels" and was launched by the "Remembering" initiative. “Mensely remember” was founded by members of the victims to keep the names and stories of the deceased into focus again and to keep awareness of what has happened, like the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.

A moving highlight of the tournament was the cup handover to the grandma of a former teammate. It was taken to the middle by the winners to accept the trophy. It was particularly touching that the final was held by the “Cans Team” team, named after Can Leyla, one of the victims and active members of the TSV Moosach-Hartmannshofen, against the sports fans of Guiliano Kollmann, another of murdered. Guiliano had played in the offspring of TSV 1860 Munich in his childhood and was an important person for his teammates. The trophy was presented by the President of TSV 1860, Robert Reisinger, who described the final as one of the most important games in his experience.

Together for the victims

with a total of 16 participating teams, including FC Olympia Moosach and the Green Youth, the tournament should also strengthen the sense of community. The players wore light blue jerseys from "Munich to remind" and the games took place on a place on TSV Moosach-Hartmannshofen. Monika Moczigemba, a supporter of the initiative, said that many of the victims had great football enthusiasm and that sport was of enormous importance for her. The tournament was not only used for memory, but also the encounter without a political background, as Moczigemba said itself.

In the context of the culture of remembrance in Germany, which is often characterized by incomplete processing of right -wing extremist acts of violence, the memorial tournament plays an important role. The Federal Center for Political Education emphasizes that collective memory decides who is thought and how is thought. Therefore, it is all the more important to have your own initiatives that work for the memory work and carry the names of the victims into society.

keep a memory

The "Munich OEZ remind you!" Initiative, which organized the small field tournament, is a civil society movement that was launched in 2021. It pursues the goal of a dignified memory of the murdered and pleads for a complete clarification of the attack. In her anti-racism, anti-discrimination and solidarity work, it is important to her to give the victims a face and name structural racism. The nine murdered people, including young people whose enthusiasm for football not only shaped their free time, but also their lives, are: Armela Segashi, Can Leyla, Dijamant Zabërgja, Guiliano Kollmann, Hüseyin Dayık, Roberto Rafael, Sabine S., Selçuk Kiliç and Sevda Dağ, like Wochenanzeiger reported.

This form of remembering through sporting activity and community commitment helps to ensure that the victim's stories and experiences are not forgotten and rewarded. At a time when right -wing extremist deeds continue to be a reality, it is more important than ever to actively work for a reminder that includes all victims and their stories.