German clubs to light stadiums with rainbow colours during Hungary game after UEFA rejects Munich proposal

DPA/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Doyle22 June 2021

Multiple football stadiums around Germany will be lit with rainbow colours during the Euro 2020 game against Hungary after UEFA rejected a similar request from Munich authorities.

The Mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, sent a formal request to UEFA for the Allianz Arena - the home stadium of both Bayern Munich and the German national team - to be illuminated in rainbow colours for Wednesday’s Group F game against Hungary.

Reiter’s application on behalf of the council made clear it wanted to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers last week that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law was denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.

However, UEFA had the final say as the organiser of the Euros, and rejected the request due to the “political” nature of the proposal.

UEFA said that while it understood the intention behind the council’s request, it “must decline” because of the political context - “a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament.”

Reiter described UEFA’s decision as “shameful” and said it was “very disappointing” that the German football federation (DFB) failed to give the city’s proposal more support.

The Munich Mayor confirmed that on Wednesday, he expects rainbow flags to fly at the city’s town hall, and also have a wind turbine near the stadium and the city’s Olympic Tower illuminated in rainbow colors.

In response to UEFA’s decision, Bundesliga clubs in Bremen, Frankfurt, Cologne, Wolfsburg, Augsburg and the two in Berlin will light up their stadiums in rainbow colours to send a message.

The Berliner Zeitung newspaper also reported that the capital city’s senate was considering illuminating the Brandenburg Gate with the rainbow colors.

On Sunday, UEFA gave the go-ahead for Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to continue wearing a captain’s armband with the rainbow colors at the tournament.

Getty Images

Additional reporting by AP.

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