Wüst awards the tolerance medal to footballer Gündogan

Turkey trip

Wüst awards the tolerance medal to footballer Gündogan

He is the first footballer with a migrant background to become captain of the national team. He has been committed to social cohesion for years. He is now being honored for that.

The former national soccer player Ilkay Gündogan has been awarded the Mevlüde Genç Medal by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for his special contributions to social cohesion. Prime Minister Hendrik Wust presented him with the award at a ceremony in the summer residence of the German ambassador Istanbul.

“You defended yourself against hostility and discrimination, and you protected others from it. We pay you great respect for that,” said Wüst in his laudatory speech. Gündogan used his popularity “to take a stand against exclusion, hatred, racism to build bridges between cultures, including between Türkiye and Germany”.

The 35-year-old Gündogan was awarded the prize last year. Because of his change of club Galatasaray Istanbul However, the award ceremony could not take place initially. Wüst made up for this during his first trip to Turkey. There was also the award ceremony Leroy Sane who also plays for Galatasaray.

Gündogan is the first footballer with a migrant background to be named captain of the German national team had risen. The Gelsenkirchen native has been advocating for respectful coexistence and the unifying power of football for years.

Since 2018, the Mevlüde Genç Medal has been awarded to personalities or groups who promote understanding and tolerance and thus contribute to peaceful coexistence in society. The award commemorates the night of May 29, 1993, when four young people threw incendiary devices into the Genç family’s house in Solingen. Mevlüde and Durmuş Genç lost two daughters, two grandchildren and a niece. 17 family members were injured, some of them very seriously, and are still suffering from the consequences today.