Fundraiser for crying German girl at England's 2-0 win crosses £25,000

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By Tom Canton

Published: July 3, 2021 12:30 pm

Last Updated: July 3, 2021 12:30 pm

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Crying German girl fundraiser crosses £25,000

Football is a sport which brings with it a whole host of varying emotions with the passion and commitment of fans involved in the spectacle of matches.

With fans returning to stadiums for the first time in a very long period due to the coronavirus pandemic the attachment of the supporters in the ground to the events on the pitch has never been stronger.

This was clearly evident in the England victory over Germany at Wembley when TV pictures broadcasted an image of a young German supporter crying with her parent at the sight of Joachim Low’s side’s defeat.

Fundraiser for crying German supporter at England’s 2-0 win crosses £25,000 mark

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: Harry Kane of England celebrates with Raheem Sterling after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round of 16 match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium on June 29, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

The images went viral online and from them a fundraiser was born. Joel Hughes from Newport set up a fundraiser on Just Giving which, at the time of writing, has now passed the £25,000 mark.

Naturally, there has been a very mixed response online with some taking exception to the concept, some going as far as to send vile abuse.

What will it be spent on?

In an interview, Mr Hughes explained that it was the abuse she was receiving online which encouraged him to set up the page.

“We have a vocal minority of idiots who are swamping out the good in the UK and they’re ruining our perception on the world stage and they’re ruining our relationship with our friends and partners in Europe,” he said.

“It’s striking a chord with a lot of people who are fed up with this kind of online abuse.

“I’m not trying to change the world here… if we can end up putting a smile on that girl’s face or making her parents understand that there is actually good in the UK, then at least we’ve done one thing.”

A recent campaign by plenty of sports’ leading institutions saw a social media blackout campaign against online abuse.

SHREWSBURY, ENGLAND – MAY 1: The Shrewsbury Town Twitter feed showing a stop to posting to social media channels until 23:59 BST on Monday, May 3rd as they unite and join the stance to support the boycott aimed at supporting the stop to online abuse during the Sky Bet League One match between Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United at Montgomery Waters Meadow Stadium on May 1, 2021 in Shrewsbury England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

Mr Hughes explained that he hopes that it can be spent on a ‘treat’ for the young supporter.

“The parents of the little girl will spend this on a nice treat for her so that she knows that not everyone from the UK is horrible and that we care,” he added.

Should the family not be found, Mr Hughes will donate the money to a charity associated with what he is trying to encourage.

Quotes from BBC Wales.