Thank you Germany: Part 018: Few other nations offer such entertaining football

Football is also part of German culture. It is considered to be the Germans' favourite sport. Many have played football in a club themselves. But even more follow the important matches on television. Important matches are not just the World Cup or the European Championship. The Champions League and Bundesliga matches are also among the major sporting events that real fans don't miss. The German clubs show real class here.

The German football league is one of the strongest leagues in the world. Every match is broadcast with professional commentary. But football can be watched not only on television. Even better is watching it directly in the stadium. You won't find an atmosphere like this in any living room in the world. Football matches are one of the events with the largest audiences. Clubs have their own fan blocks and special chants. Anyone who appreciates sport and enjoys football will appreciate the opportunity to visit a stadium. And even Deutsche Bahn makes it possible to travel cheaply to some away matches thanks to suitable partnerships. So if you want to support your team, you can also make the journey to the away game in Germany. Many Germans have a favourite club that they have been loyal to for many years. And it's not just the firm favourites that can count on large numbers of fans.

Some underdogs in particular have a long-standing fan base. Clubs such as FC St. Pauli, SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt have fans who have remained loyal to their club even through the tough years. Each club has its own unique culture. Some fans are particularly loyal to a club because of a favourite player. Footballers can become sought-after celebrities in Germany. Some football coaches or club bosses are sometimes even interviewed on political issues. Despite all the competition in the league, the sports clubs generally demonstrate sporting spirit and fairness. Football coaches have repeatedly stated that racism and discrimination have no place in football stadiums. When people fight each other on the pitch, they always remain fair and show solidarity. There is also hardly any other place where the migration society becomes as clear as on the football pitch.

Here, people from a wide variety of countries and families play in a team for a common cause. Skin colour plays just as little a role as religion, personal origin or political preferences. The footballers are well aware of this. That is why discrimination against individual players is consistently condemned. Most fans of first division clubs have adopted this positive positioning of their clubs for themselves. This is a very special quality of the traditional German football culture. And it is precisely for this that you have to love the country with its special penchant for the sport on grass so much. It's no wonder that football is enjoyed by rich and poor people alike - regardless of their level of education. Football is the sport that brings Germans together and makes them realise the diversity of their own society time and time again.