The 1000th international match of the German national football team is intended to become a symbol of peace. As confirmed by the German Football Association (DFB) on Monday after a long planning phase, the team led by coach Hansi Flick will play their next friendly match on the way to the home Euro 2020 against Ukraine on June 12.
“The 1000th international match of the German national team is a very special event. We want to use it to send a clear signal for peace and understanding among nations and against war and destruction,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf.
The symbolic match will take place at the Weserstadion in Bremen, where no international match has been held since 2012. The kick-off time is still to be determined. There have been calls for earlier kick-off times for international matches.
“The football community of Ukraine is grateful to our German friends that this match will have the status of a charity match and that the DFB plans to use the funds raised to support Ukrainians who have suffered from Russian aggression,” said Ukrainian Football Federation President Andriy Pavelko on the federation’s Facebook page. Pavelko added that it was an “exceptionally honorable task” and said, “We value our friendship and are grateful for the support!”
The other two matches for the international match window after the end of the Bundesliga season have also been scheduled. On June 16, the team will face Robert Lewandowski’s Poland in Warsaw. Four days later, they will play a friendly against Colombia in Gelsenkirchen.
Germany last played against Ukraine in the Nations League in November 2020 under former coach Joachim Löw, winning 3-1, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion on the country.
The choice of Bremen as the match venue is a sign of football-political rapprochement. Due to a legal dispute over the assumption of police costs between the Hanseatic city and the German Football League, no international match has been held there for more than a decade.
