A report by Hans Helmut Schmitt. Rheingau Echo, 15.08.2024 (Translation by R. Lönarz)
Three Halves for Europe / University Hosts the "Limburger Kreis" / Networking on All Levels
The Olympic Games, one of the highlights of the sports year, are over, but the season continues at Geisenheim University. In collaboration with the Limburger Kreis, a group of personalities from business, culture, sports, and politics initiated by former CDU Bundestag member Michael Jung, Geisenheim University (HGU) organized a gathering on the theme "Wine and Football in Europe."
Geisenheim. (hhs) – The official host was UENFW – an abbreviation for the "Union of European National Football Teams of Winemakers e.V." Behind this lies a union of nine European national football teams of winemakers. The threads of the UENFW come together at its "Headquarter" in Geisenheim: The president is Robert Lönarz, head of the department for strategic university relations, fundraising, and alumni. UENFW's secretary-general is Erica Fischbach, who, in addition to many other roles, is also the president of the Hessian Bobsleigh and Sledding Sports Association. UENFW was only established six years ago but has already earned a good reputation beyond the wine industry. The association was founded in May 2018 during the VINOEURO, the European football championship for winemakers in Slovenia. At that time, eight European nations signed the founding charter. The association aims to present the combination of wine and football in Europe as a shared cultural heritage. Every two years, the football teams, primarily composed of renowned winemakers, compete in their European championship. The special feature of all matches: There are three halves. The first two halves focus on the winemakers' sporting performances, while the "third half" involves social gatherings centered around vinological and culinary delights.
Friendly Competition
The European Winemakers' Football Championship thrives on the immense passion that football evokes. Despite the fiercely contested nature of the championship, friendships are forged between players, partners, sponsors, and fans. Luigi Brunetti, a former top Italian chef in Neu-Isenburg, and Dr. Franz Josef Jung, who, despite his career as a top politician, never forgot his roots as the son of a winemaker from the Rheingau, gave the impetus for international football matches 15 years ago. Brunetti and Dr. Jung are now honorary presidents of the association. The third key figure is the Hungarian Zoltan Magyar. "Friendship in Europe is very important to us," is the credo of UENFW. "With wine and football, we reach people's hearts." The presidents of the eight national associations of Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany deliberately chose Geisenheim University as the seat of the new European association, whose members jointly develop, regulate, and monitor important parameters for the political framework. Romania joined as the ninth member country this year. President Constantin Cioltan is a Geisenheim graduate and has a network that extends beyond the former Eastern Bloc states to South America. He has already made contacts in Chile and Argentina, aiming to elevate VINOEURO to VINO MONDIAL, a football world championship for national winemaker teams.
Images:
Premiere for Alexander Lorz: The Finance Minister with University President Schultz on the iconic green couch.
Top Referee Walter Eschweiler, at almost 89 years old, was the oldest attendee. His "Eschweiler-Rolle" after a collision with a Peruvian player in a match during the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain is legendary. At that time, he lost his yellow and red cards, his whistle, and a tooth after a backward roll.
The most prominent – and for the university, probably the most important – guest was Hesse's Finance Minister Alexander Lorz. The praise from Professor Lorz, who highlighted the "triad of wine, football, and education" at the "fantastic institution we are proud of," must have sounded like music to the ears of the university representatives.
Expansion Through Peaceful Means
Earlier, Michael Jung, in his role as president of the Limburger Kreis – "our network has existed for 35 years, we are active nationwide and non-partisan" – praised the importance of the university with its global reputation. He warmly thanked the HGU for bringing together two of his favorite topics, football and wine. His quip that the university was pursuing an "expansion through peaceful means" was met with much applause before the guests turned their attention to the vinological aspect of this expansion with enjoyment.
Excellent Reputation
The choice of Geisenheim as the location was driven by the excellent reputation of Geisenheim University. It promotes and embodies internationality and diversity, providing the perfect environment. However, every other participating nation also maintains a partnership with a university or educational institution. Among them are such renowned names as the universities of Brno, Budapest, Lisbon, Maribor, Pisa, or the Wädenswil Wine Institute. This internationality, according to University President Professor Schultz, is more important today than ever. Although it is a relatively small university, the HGU offers many international degree programs. The nearly 1,600 students, according to Hans Reiner Schultz, come from 50 countries. Fourteen percent of them come from outside Germany.
Schultz, formerly a member of the WineELF Germany, recalled the beginnings almost 20 years ago when football and wine were brought together on a large stage through Geisenheim initiatives. What started as a match in Munich's Olympic Stadium has grown into an international project: Schultz's conclusion: "Football connects across borders." To the regret of UENFW President Lönarz, the major wine and football nations of France and Spain are still missing. Although there are some regional football-wine teams there, no official national football teams exist yet.
Vinological Tour of Europe
At the Limburger Kreis gathering, Robert Lönarz offered a tasting of wines from the nine member countries, along with sparkling wine from the HGU's cellars as an appetizer. In line with the "third half," there was culinary accompaniment with "stadium catering," provided by Colin Frambach and Maximilian Schubert, who run their startup "CM Plus Events" in Geisenheim. Their team took care of catering for the guests, offering, in addition to the "classic stadium fare" of bratwurst and currywurst, small dishes from the UENFW member states.
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