Building friendships with football

COLOMBO, May 19 - The German Football Association donated 10,000 Euro for the maintenance of the German-Sri Lanka football traning centre in Matara. 

Building friendships with football Enlarge image German Ambassador Jens Plötner with Sarath Weerasekera, President of the FFSL and Holger Obermann, FIFA Coaching Instructor (© German Embassy Colombo)

The centre constructed with a donation of 250,000 Euro from the German national football team in 2006, in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami, stands as a symbol of the steadfast commitment by Germany towards developing football in Sri Lanka.

“When we first went to Matara, we met children who had either lost one of their parents, siblings or other loved ones,” said FIFA Coaching Instructor Holger Obermann. “For them playing football was a healing process. It was wonderful to see the smiles back on their faces after everything that they have been through.”

A delegation from the German Football Association has visited the Matara football centre every year to provide coaching workshops and to monitor the progress of the players.

“Football is one of the best ways to make new friends. While it has helped the children in the South to rebuild their lives in after tsunami, there is a generation of young people in the North who have grown up hearing only gunfire and shelling,” said Jens Plötner, the Ambassador of Germany in Sri Lanka. “We must also give them new hope through football.”

German ambassador Jens Plötner handing over the donation of 10,000 Euros to President of the FFSL Sarath Weerasekera at the Football House Enlarge image Former German national footballer Jens Nowotny, President of FFSL Sarath Weerasekera, German Ambassador Jens Plötner, FIFA Coaching Instructor Holger Obermann and Manilal Fernando, FIFA Exco Member and Chairman Management Committee FFSL (© German Embassy Colombo) In close collaboration with the FFSL, Germany plans contribute to the building of a new football training center in Jaffna.