Bayern apologises after Auschwitz tweet claims

In a post promoting the match, Bayern used Juventus's club motto "Fino alla fine", which translates as "until the end" and, in anticipation of a home win, added the Italian caption "Quie la fine" or "here is the end".

Published : Mar 16, 2016 23:13 IST , Munich

Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena will welcome Juventus for the second leg.
Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena will welcome Juventus for the second leg.
lightbox-info

Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena will welcome Juventus for the second leg.

Bayern Munich has issued an apology after the Italian media linked a graphic posted on the club's official Twitter page to images of the World War II concentration camp at Auschwitz.

Bayern host Juventus in the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday, with the tie poised at 2-2 following the opening leg in Turin.

In a post promoting the match, Bayern used Juventus's club motto "Fino alla fine", which translates as "until the end" and, in anticipation of a home win, added the Italian caption "Quie la fine" or "here is the end".

The Juve motto is shown crossed out on a train track leading towards Bayern's Allianz Arena and Italian publications Tuttosport and Gazzetta dello Sport drew similarities between the graphic and images of the train tracks that transported more than a million people to their deaths at the infamous Nazi camp in Poland.

"Unfortunately, our matchday graphic has been misunderstood to represent historic events, something which was never intended," a statement from Bayern read. "If we have hurt the feelings of Juventus fans in particular or any other users as a result, we sincerely apologise.

"Our only intention with the graphic was to play on the sporting aspect of this evening's Champions League last-16 tie, whereby one of the two teams has to exit the competition."

Bayern press officer Markus Hörwick added: "This graphic has been made by young people who have no idea of German history."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment