In Munich’s Allianz Arena
Rummenigge calls for a huge funeral service for Beckenbauer
January 9, 2024, 8:57 a.m
If Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has his way, fans will be able to say goodbye to the late Franz Beckenbauer in a big way. The ex-Bayern boss wants a big memorial service in the Allianz Arena. The record champions are examining the feasibility.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wants to hold a large memorial service for the football “emperor” Franz Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday. “The entire world of football and beyond is mourning the loss of our friend Franz. FC Bayern should host a memorial service in the stadium to thank and remember him, which would never have existed without him!” said the ex-Bayern boss to “Bild “. Beckenbauer once campaigned for Munich to get a new stadium and move out of the old Olympic Stadium.
“I am deeply shocked. Franz Beckenbauer has rewritten the history of German football and had a lasting impact,” the record champions’ supervisory board said in a statement from the club. “He was my captain at FC Bayern, my coach at the national team, our president at Bayern and in all of these roles he was not only successful, but unique.” The 68-year-old Rummenigge continued: “German football is losing the greatest personality in its history.”
Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß said: “Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality that FC Bayern has ever had. As a player, coach, president, person: unforgettable. Nobody will ever reach him.” According to information from “Bild”, Rummenigge spoke to Hoeneß on the phone about the topic on Monday. Bavaria wants to examine the feasibility of the proposal. The funeral service would then take place in the 75,024-seat Allianz Arena.
Beckenbauer died on Sunday at the age of 78. In August 2022 there was a funeral service for club idol Uwe Seeler in Hamburger SV’s Volksparkstadion. Around 5,000 fans came back then, and Munich would probably be full if the idea could be implemented.
Beckenbauer’s former teammate Berti Vogts has another suggestion: The former national coach can imagine renaming the DFB Cup in honor of Beckenbauer: “It is important that his name is not forgotten by the following generations of footballers. Maybe the DFB should “Think about naming the DFB Cup after Franz Beckenbauer, for example,” Vogts told the “Rheinische Post”.