Bayern Munich's Javi Martinez supporting migrants
MUNICH --
Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez visited migrants at Munich train station Friday to offer his support and sporting director Matthias Sammer made a call for others to help.
''Every little helps! Welcome refugees!'' Martinez said in a tweet that included a photo of himself handing a Bayern football to a young child.
Munich police said ''there's no end to the support from Munich people for refugees at Munich main train station'' and they thanked Martinez for helping.
Bayern announced Thursday it would set up a training camp for youths, give them meals, German lessons and soccer equipment, as well as donate 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to separate refugee projects.
Sammer said he hoped people would continue to offer their support for arriving migrants.
''When you see these people on TV or in photos, how they've nothing as they flee war and atrocities, how they leave everything behind in the hope of a better life, then we have to offer every refugee in Germany our hand,'' Sammer told German daily Bild.
Sammer blasted a recent wave of far-right anti-foreigner violence in towns like Heidenau and Freital near Dresden in eastern Germany as ''repulsive.''
''The attitude of refugee-opponents is shameful,'' Sammer said. ''We all have to think very hard about what we're doing. Have these people ever thought how they would find it if it happened to them and no one held out their hand?''
About 2,400 migrants arrived at Munich main train station on Tuesday. Germany expects about 800,000 to arrive in the country this year, a fourfold increase from last year.
