Bayern Munich to raise €1m for Syrian refugees with asylum seekers

Bayern Munich will raise €1million from a friendly match to help tackle the current refugee crisis and planning a training camp which will see refugees given German classes and supplied with meals and football equipment, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.

Ahead of Bayern Munich's Bundesliga clash with Augsburg on September 12 at the Allianz Arena, each player will enter the pitch holding the hands of a German youngster and refugee child in the hope it will help with the integration of the refugees.

Club chairman: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: 'Bayern sees it as our social responsibility to help the refugees, needy children, women and men, to help them and to accompany them in Germany.'

Europe is struggling as the worst refugee crisis since World War Two polarizes the 28-member EU, which has no effective system to cope with the arrival of hundreds of migrants.

More than four million refugees have fled Syria since war broke out there in 2011. A record 104,460 asylum seekers entered Germany in August, and it is expected about 800,000 people will file for asylum this year - four times last year's level.

Thousands have crossed into Germany via Hungary and Austria with Munich's train station one of the main points of entry.

Bayern's plans to raise funds come after Bundesliga fans held banners welcoming asylum seekers to their stadiums in recent weeks.

Banners were seen around a number of grounds while Bourssia Dortmund invited 220 refugees to attend a Europa League clash. Other clubs also reportedly offered free tickets to those seeking asylum.

The 'angekommen in Dortmund' scheme - 'arrived in Dortmund' - is a national initiative to help refugees settle in.

Germany also plans to ease the path for hundreds of thousands of people granted asylum in the country to set up bank accounts.

The German football association (DFB) issued a video message on Wednesday condemning any attacks on migrants or on their accommodation as well as any form of xenophobia.

A friendly game against a 'Refugees United' team next week is also planned with DFB employees.

Elsewhere, Celtic have announced that the club's share of the proceeds from this weekend's Jock Stein 30th anniversary match between Celtic and Dunfermline legends will be donated to an international aid charity as they look to assist in helping those affected by the crisis.

Source: MENA