Community Life - The Left and Green parties have refused to accept VIP invitations for the European Football Championships.
The parliamentarians from the left and green parties in the Berlin state parliament have decided against accepting free VIP tickets for the European Championship football matches. Both factions made their decision known on Tuesday.
The Senate Sports Administration revealed that tickets for European Championship matches in Berlin were offered to all five factions. The AfD faction announced that some of their members would use these complimentary tickets. The CDU and SPD had not yet responded to an inquiry from the dpa.
"As members of the Berlin state parliament, we often represent not only our faction and party, but also our city at many events," commented Anne Helm and Carsten Schatz, the leaders of the left faction, on their decision not to accept the EM tickets. "But at the football matches of the European Championship, we believe that it should be the volunteers in the sports sector who represent our city, not the politicians."
The Left faction proposed that: "Since we are unable to transfer the tickets to someone else, we would like to ask the sports senator to give these tickets, particularly to youth trainers and coaches."
Iris Spranger, the interior and sports senator (SPD), expressed a willingness to consider this suggestion. She pointed out that the free tickets would come from UEFA, the European football association, and that the sports administration would be responsible for distributing them. If the Left faction named specific recipients for the tickets, the sports administration would pass them on to UEFA.
So far, it was already known that all senators and senators should each receive two free tickets for European Championship matches in Berlin. According to the Senate Sports Administration, Mayor of the Capital Michael Müller (SPD) and Senator Spranger would each receive tickets for all six matches in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
Additionally, tickets were also extended to the presidium of the House of Representatives: two VIP tickets each for the president Cornelia Seibeld and the vice-presidents.
Other tickets are available for official ambassadors of the host city Berlin, other supporters, and local sponsors. This also includes district mayors of Mitte and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (one card each), the President of the Constitutional Court, and some representatives of Berlin sports.
The Left faction reported that they had received 21 free tickets, which is the same as the number of their parliamentarians. Among these tickets were three tickets for the final, two for the semi-finals, and five for the quarter-finals, all in the expensive category 1. Along with the tickets came an invitation to a pre-match reception to prepare for the match. "The total value of the tickets is around 7,000 euros," said the Left faction. The faction's leadership decided not to accept these benefits.
The European Championship in Germany will take place from June 14 to July 14, with Berlin as one of the venues for the tournament. There will be a fan mile in front of the Brandenburg Gate for public viewing.
