At a festive gathering in Germany's capital Berlin tonight, DFB-President Dr. Theo Zwanziger was honoured for his long-standing commitment against any kind of discrimination, extremism, and xenophobia.
The award bears the name of the renowned society that presents it on an annual basis - "Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie" (against forgetting, for democracy). Founded in 1993 by Hans-Jochen Vogel, a former Lord Mayor of Berlin and Munich, the association now counts more than 2,000 members from all walks of life.
"Theo Zwanziger is an unequivocal and unwavering advocate for a tolerant society, for the social integration of foreign immigrants and the social responsibility of sports in modern-day Germany. His voice is widely heard and, perhaps even more importantly, he acts accordingly. He does not just focus on the elite leagues and the German national teams, but keeps very much in touch with the grassroots", said the society's chairman, Joachim Gauck.
Markus Schächter, chairman of the German public broadcaster ZDF, was the keynote speaker in Zwanziger's honour at the Deutsche Telekom headquarters in Berlin.
Zwanziger was the first President of the German Football Association to finance an independent study of the DFB involvement in the Third Reich.
In remembrance of a former Jewish national player killed in Auschwitz, Theo Zwanziger instituted the annual "Julius Hirsch Award". Zwanziger has also made social integration a key issue on his association's agenda, has not shied away from addressing former taboo topics including homosexuality in football, and convened the first-ever National Supporters' Congress, inviting more than 400 fan representatives to make their case.
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At a festive gathering in Germany's capital Berlin tonight, DFB-President Dr. Theo Zwanziger was honoured for his long-standing commitment against any kind of discrimination, extremism, and xenophobia.
The award bears the name of the renowned society that presents it on an annual basis - "Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie" (against forgetting, for democracy). Founded in 1993 by Hans-Jochen Vogel, a former Lord Mayor of Berlin and Munich, the association now counts more than 2,000 members from all walks of life.
"Theo Zwanziger is an unequivocal and unwavering advocate for a tolerant society, for the social integration of foreign immigrants and the social responsibility of sports in modern-day Germany. His voice is widely heard and, perhaps even more importantly, he acts accordingly. He does not just focus on the elite leagues and the German national teams, but keeps very much in touch with the grassroots", said the society's chairman, Joachim Gauck.
Markus Schächter, chairman of the German public broadcaster ZDF, was the keynote speaker in Zwanziger's honour at the Deutsche Telekom headquarters in Berlin.
Zwanziger was the first President of the German Football Association to finance an independent study of the DFB involvement in the Third Reich.
In remembrance of a former Jewish national player killed in Auschwitz, Theo Zwanziger instituted the annual "Julius Hirsch Award". Zwanziger has also made social integration a key issue on his association's agenda, has not shied away from addressing former taboo topics including homosexuality in football, and convened the first-ever National Supporters' Congress, inviting more than 400 fan representatives to make their case.
