Football Fever Takes Over the United Nations – Bundesliga Legends in New York

22.05.2018 – With the Football World Cup just a few weeks away, the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations and the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) proudly present the Bundesliga Legends. UN Permanent Representatives will celebrate the unifying power of football with former star athletes and Bundesliga players like World Champions Lothar Matthäus and Paulo Sergio, Jörg Albertz, Wynton Rufer and Pavel Pardo at UN headquarters. Four regional teams of Ambassadors and footballers will face off on a small football field in a tournament-style showdown with 15-minute matches. Bibiana Steinhaus, the 2017 World Referee and first ever woman to officiate a Bundesliga match, will act as referee.

Before the first whistle, Lothar Matthäus, Pavel Pardo and Bibiana Steinhaus will join UN ambassadors and high-ranking representatives of the UN Secretariat in a discussion about their personal experiences in football and how the sport can have a positive impact on development and youth. After the medal ceremony, the Bundesliga Legends will be available for questions from the media.

According to Germany’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, the event is designed to excite passion for football at the U.N. just weeks before the World Cup is kicked off in Russia: “Football shares much of the same spirit which defines the UN. Football is more than just a sport, it is a phenomenon that unites people and helps us overcome cultural and language barriers.”

Christian Seifert, CEO of the DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga, says: “To celebrate the unifying power of football at the United Nations is an honor for the Bundesliga, our clubs and our players. The Bundesliga is an institution not only in Germany, but one with millions of fans around the globe. This is why the legends here today chose to play in one of the most successful sports leagues in the world.”

When: Thursday, 31 May 2018 starting 4:00 p.m.
Where: United Nations headquarters, North Lawn