OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
OFFIZIELLEN PRESSEMITTEILUNG
LIVERPOOL FC & BORUSSIA MG - EINE GANZ BESONDERE FREUNDSCHAFT
LIVERPOOL FC & BORUSSIA MG - A VERY SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP
2014 & 8th ANNUAL LIVERPOOL FC SUPPORTERS FRIENDSHIP
VISIT TO MOENCHENGLADBACH
Friday 2nd May to Monday 5th May 2014
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
OFFIZIELLEN PRESSEMITTEILUNG
A party of Liverpool FC supporters recently returned from Germany after their 8th consecutive annual Friendship visit since 2007 to Moenchengladbach to yet again consolidate and enhance even further a very special friendship that goes back nearly 40 years to the 1970’s decade.
Liverpool FC & Borussia Moenchengladbach met in the UEFA Cup final in May 1973, Liverpool winning 3-2 on aggregate and they also met in the1977 European cup final in the eternal city of Rome where Liverpool FC won their first ever of their five European cups, the Reds running out 3-1 winners. The two European giants met again the following season 1977/78 in the semi-final of the European Cup, Liverpool winning 4-2 on aggregate.
Since these famous clashes there has been a very special friendship between the two sets of supporters which has resulted in Borussia MG supporters travelling to Liverpool every year since 1992 during the Bundesliga winter break to support the Reds at Anfield, and Liverpool FC supporters led by annual friendship visit organiser Graham Agg, have travelled to Gladbach annually since 2007.
In 1991, a delegation of Borussia Moenchengladbach supporters presented a cheque for 21,000 Deutsch Marks (approximately £7000) to ex-LFC captain Ron Yeats for the Hillsborough families, an amazing gesture that has NEVER been forgotten on Merseyside.
This year’s LFC supporters Friendship visit to Moenchengladbach took place from Friday 2nd May to Monday 5th May 2014. The trip involved a stadium tour of the impressive 54,000 capacity Borussia Park, Borussia’s new home since 2004, which even has a corporate hospitality suite called the “Liverpool” suite! Also on the agenda was an all day Fan Party and highlight of the visit was guaranteed match tickets to watch Borussia in Bundesliga action versus FSV Mainz 05. LFC supporters were amongst the completely sold out attendance at the Borussia Park stadium to support Borussia in their quest to bring European football back to Moenchengladbach.
The Liverpool supporters saw Gladbach secure a 3-1 victory. The LFC supporters were once again invited to an all day fan party in the Borussia official “Fanhaus” situated near the stadium with amazing scenes of friendship between the Borussia & Liverpool supporters.
Liverpool supporters this year unveiled a flag in honour of Tom Smith who sadly passed away in February this year. He was a great friend of Liverpool Football Club – and this year’s friendship visit to Gladbach was made in his memory.
In 2005, when Liverpool FC won the Champions League in the "Miracle of Istanbul", Liverpool finished fifth in the league table and UEFA declared that LFC would not be allowed to defend their trophy because of their league position.
Warrington based Tom Smith, born in Motherwell, Scotland and a member of the Tartan Army & Manchester City season ticket holder of many years standing thought this was an injustice and decided to do something about it. Tom set up immediately an Online petition to lobby UEFA to reverse this decision and in a matter of days the petition had over 100,000 signatures which Tom then forwarded on to Sepp Blatter & UEFA. The rest, as they say is history.....
Sadly Tom passed away in February this year at the relatively young age of just 61. This flag was especially commissioned by organiser Graham Agg in his honour and was unveiled in Gladbach as a Scottish Bag Pipe player played "The Flower of Scotland".
The 2014 LFC Supporters annual Moenchengladbach Friendship visit was once again fully endorsed by Liverpool Football Club. For the 8th consecutive year, LFC presented the organiser of the friendship visit with a gift before departure to Germany.
The gift of a framed letter with the LFC club crest with a special message from Liverpool FC Managing Director Ian Ayre. This was read out to the assembled audience on Friday evening by the freindship visit organiser. In the message, Ian Ayre stated how unique this special friendship is, and thanked the Borussia supporters for their recent gift of over 250 scarves for the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. He also wished the LFC supporters a successful 8th annual friendship visit.
Special guest Chris Shaw – author of the Liverpool FC book “Our Liverpool” about Liverpool FC’s worldwide support (published in 2010), also addressed the audience and he spoke of the importance of the LFC/BMG friendship. Also Thomas Jonny Polcher from the official BMG Fan Projekt spoke about the special friendship which is unique in world football.
This year, 78 Liverpool FC supporters made the trek to Moenchengladbach, the vast majority from the Merseyside region but also LFC fans from all parts of the UK. Ireland was represented this year by the Donegal Branch (Irish Reds) of the official LFC supporters Club(AIB), there was also a group of German Reds from different parts of Germany, also 9 members of the Holland official LFC supporters Club(Alsin). Belgium was also represented on the friendship visit.
Organiser Agg stated that he wishes “to thank Jonny Thomas Polcher & Thomas "Tower" Weinmann from the BMG Fan Projekt for their help in organising the friendship visit, also the fans of Borussia Moenchengladbach & the citizens of the town of Moenchengladbach for their unbelievable hospitality and friendship shown to the Liverpool fans during their stay” and he also stated that he would like “to thank all the travelling Liverpool FC supporters for being superb ambassadors for Liverpool Football Club and the City of Liverpool, and that this weekend has proven yet again that the Borussia Moenchengladbach & Liverpool FC friendship is absolutely unique in world football”.
