Herbert Hainer: 'Always setting sail for new shores together' | OneFootball

After an hour and a half – or, to put it another way, 90 minutes – Herbert Hainer ordered a Paulaner wheat beer. “We can treat ourselves to this now,” said the president, as he and his senior vice-president, Professor Dr Dieter Mayer, along with the two FCB Legends Giovane Élber and Roy Makaay, headed into extra time signing autographs at the fan event on the sunny roof terrace of the “Hungry Tiger & Hidden Dragon” restaurant in the heart of Hong Kong. 150 invited fans from across the region created a fantastic atmosphere, repeatedly chanting “Mia san mia” and “Super Bayern, super Bayern, hey, hey!” at the top of their voices.

Last year, a major fan event took place as part of the Club World Cup at Gerd Müller’s former restaurant in the USA – this year, FC Bayern hosted an event on the other side of the world as part of its “Audi Summer Tour”. “Events like this are a wonderful example of how our ‘Mia san mia’ spirit is lived out all over the world. FC Bayern stands for togetherness beyond borders and a passion that unites people all around the globe,” said Hainer in his welcome address. “We’re delighted to be here today.” Fans also had the chance to take selfies with the Meisterschale and the DFB Cup – against the unrivalled backdrop of the city’s skyline, with Kai Tak Stadium as the centrepiece.

Fans from a wide variety of regions came together, from Hong Kong and China, through Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, to Taiwan – and, of course, from Germany as well. The event brought together representatives from 56 different fan clubs, and members of the club were also in attendance. The FC Bayern Fan Club Hong Kong was founded in 2014 and now has over 300 members. In total, the German champions have around 80 fan clubs in Asia with more than 9,500 members.

Hainer explained that the 10th “Audi Summer Tour” embodies FC Bayern’s long-term, sustainable and authentic internationalisation strategy – and its ambition, in the spirit of the number 10 in football, to provide impetus, bring people together and make a difference. “For us, success means not just reach and turnover, but above all: greater closeness to our fans and stronger, lasting relationships,” said the president. Furthermore, he added, it's important for the club to “always maintain a balance; that has always characterised FC Bayern: our club is at home in Munich and Bavaria, whilst at the same time boasting a global presence with well over 432,000 members. FC Bayern wants to be an experience for fans around the globe – from Tegernsee, as was the case last week, just as it is now in Asia.” FCB Women, too, had recently spent a week in Japan on the “Allianz Women’s Tour”, the president added: “This is an important sign of our commitment to reaching people worldwide with all our teams.”

Drawing on Hong Kong’s history, Hainer linked the city’s story with that of FC Bayern in his speech: the famous junks once dominated the harbour scene in Hong Kong – with their sails in the city’s colours, which are also the colours of FC Bayern: red. “That’s a lovely symbol,” said the FCB president: “FC Bayern, too, is always setting sail for new shores – and always together with its fans. Forever forward, FC Bayern!” When the fans in the stadium wear their club’s colours, Hainer said, “parentage, language or religion don’t matter – only one thing counts: us.” The club’s motto, 'Mia san mia', is more than just a slogan: “It’s a promise: that we’ll stand up for one another.”

FC Bayern had already organised a fan event on the first stop of this year’s “Audi Summer Tour” on Jeju in South Korea: the two FCB Legends, Giovane Élber and Roy Makaay, had taken lots of time out to pose for selfies and sign autographs outside the island’s World Cup Stadium. Over 150 fans turned up to meet the former world-class strikers, and photos with Berni, as well as the Meisterschale and the DFB Cup, were also in high demand. The fans had travelled specially from all over South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan. At the event's conclusion, FCB partner Doppelherz presented all guests with a souvenir gift, along with an FC Bayern pennant. A Japanese delegation from Kumamoto was unable to attend due to the earthquake, but their gifts will still be sent to them.

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