Football: New Season Preview - "No German Passport": Chialo on the Desire to Represent the National Team
Joe Chialo, Berlin's Culture Senator, reminisced about his unsuccessful stint in the national football team before the European Championship in Germany. "I played football during my younger days," Chialo told dpa on Friday, recalling his time with the club TuRa Hennef, which later combined with FC Hennef 05.
"I was also in a selection led by Holger Osieck, who was assistant to Franz Beckenbauer at the time," the 53-year-old politician said. Osieck planned to invite Chialo back then, but he didn't possess a German pass. Chialo was raised in Bonn, the son of a Tanzanian diplomatic family. "That dream was quickly shattered." Nevertheless, Chialo currently practices boxing.
In Chialo's view, football and culture play similar roles in promoting social cohesion. "It's where people come together, transcending their social standing, to share an emotion - ideally a positive one that enriches them or tests them, leading to moments that can even shake their very being. No matter what, these shared experiences make us human and unite us as a community," he explained. During the EM, a broad cultural program is organized. Numerous cultural institutions are taking part, either in their own venues or at common grounds like the Fan Zone at the Brandenburg Gate. A concert featuring Peter Schilling is also arranged; his 1980s hit "Major Tom (Completely Lost)" has been a stadium anthem for fans for quite a while and has witnessed a sudden resurgence in popularity.
