a2oppelner Sportfreunde “oberschlesien” von 1919 - Newsbomb.gr

16. – 24.6.2012
Teams
S,

Teams
(as of May 2012)
EuropEada 2012 Groups
Group a
Lusatian Sorbs (GER) (host)
German minority in Poland (POL)
Carinthian Slovenes (AUT)
Selection of the minorities from Estonia (EST)
Group B
Roma from Hungary (HUN)
Germans from Russia (RUS)
Rhaeto-Romansh (SUI)
Slovak minority from Hungary (HUN)
Group C
Croat minority from Serbia (SRB)
Western Trace Turks (GRE/GER)
Ladins (ITA)
North Frisians (GER)
Group d
German-speaking minority of South Tyrol (ITA), (defending champion)
Germans from Hungary (HUN)
Karachay (RUS)
German minority from Denmark (DEN)
Group E
Danish minority from Germany (GER)
Cimbrians (ITA)
The Welsh (GBR)
Occitans (FRA)
EuropEada 2012 2

a1 Serbja (Lusatian Sorbs)
The selection of the Lusatian Sorbs (Serbska wubranka) is the host of the European Football
The selection of the Lusatian Sorbs (Serbska wubranka) is the host of the European Football
Championships of the minorities 2012 in Lusatia.
With about 60,000 people the Sorbs are the smallest Slavic people in Europe. The Sorbs/Wends
are living nowadays in the east of Saxony – in Upper Lusatia – and in the south of Brandenburg
– Lower Lusatia.
The Sorbian selection exists from 1995 on and regularly plays against teams from the Czech
Republic and Poland, e.g. in Crostwitz/Chrósćicy and Nebelschütz/Njebjelčicy. “FSV Budissa
Bautzen” has been the adversary on the regular basis, once a year, for a charity match. The
initiator of the team and the beneficiary matches is the Sorbian sports association Serbski
sokoł and the Cyril & Methodius-Association. Already in 2008 the team participated in the
EUROPEADA in Graubünden and since then they have been preparing to win the championship
at home. The team is trained by Frank Ritschel and is composed of players from different
Sorbian football associations.
Minority: Lusatian Sorbs
Region: Lusatia/Lausitz (Saxony, Brandenburg)
Organisation: Domowina / Serbski sokoł
www.domowina.de
a2 oppelner Sportfreunde “oberschlesien” von 1919
(German minority in poland)
The team Oppelner Sportfreunde (Opole’s Sports Friends) – represents the German-speaking
minority in Poland.
In Poland there are about 300,000-400,000 citizens of German ancestry in eleven provinces
(voivodeships). The largest number of them is living in the province of Opole, followed by
the provinces of Silesia, Warmia-Masuria, Pomorania and Lower Silesia. The reasons for the
existence of the German minority are political developments, territorial changes and expulsions
after the Second World War. First after 1989 were the Germans in Poland able to overtly
speak their own language and live their own culture and history. The organisation with the largest
number of members from the German minority is the Social-Cultural Society of the Germans in
Opole-Silesia (Sozial-Kulturelle Gesellschaft der Deutschen im Oppelner Schlesien: SKGD).
EuropEada 2012 3

The team Oppelner Sportfreunde “Oberschlesien” of 1919 exists since 2011. Amateur football
players from the teams of the A-league and regional league from six districts in Silesia/Poland
form the team: from Rosenberg/Olesno, Kandrzin-Cosel / Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Groß Strehlitz/
Strzelce Opolskie, Krappitz/Krapkowice, Neustadt/Prudnik and Oppeln/Opole.
Minority: German minority from Poland
Region: Opole
Organisation: Sozial-Kulturelle Gesellschaft der Deutschen im Oppelner Schlesien (SKGD)
Contact: Norbert Rasch
Email: norbert.rasch@tskn.vdg.pl
www.tskn.vdg.pl/
a3 Team Koroška/Kärnten
”Slovenska športna zveza” (Carinthian Slovenes)
The team Koroška/Kärnten ”Slovenska športna zveza / Slowenische Sportverband”,
represents the Slovenian minority who lives in Carinthia, Austria: the Carinthian Slovenes.
The Slovenes settled in Carinthia/Koroška at the end of the sixth century. Still in the 19th
century a quarter to a third of the Carinthian population spoke Slovenian. At the plebiscite
after the First World War the majority of the population votes in favour of staying with
Austria. Today the minority consists of 20,000 people.
Carinthia and how it treats its Slovenian population has become known far beyond the
borders of the region through the struggle about bilingual place name signs.
The team of the Carinthian Slovenes who participate in the EUROPEADA 2012 is a selection
that never before played even one game in this composition. It consists of players from the
regional league (SAK, third-highest league in Austria), the Carinthian league (Bleiburg/
Pliberk, Eberndorf/Dobrla vas – highest league in Carinthia) and sub-league (DSG Sele-
Zell, ASKÖ St. Michael/ Šmihel and Ludmannsdorf/Bilčovs – second-highest league in
Carinthia).
Minority: Carinthian Slovenes
Organisation: Slowenischer Sportverband / Slovenska športna zveza
Region: Carinthia, Austria
Contact: Ivan Lukan, Marijan Velik
Email: ssz@speed.at
www.ssz.at
EuropEada 2012 4

a4 ErÜ (Minority Selection from Estonia)
The team Eestimaa Rahvuste Ühendus (Selection of the Minorities from Estonia) represents
the minorities and people of Estonia. Amongst the 1.5 million inhabitants of Estonia are next
to the Estonians also e.g. Russians, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Germans, Latvians and Poles.
The minority selection from Estonia will participate in the EUROPEADA 2012 for the first
time and is being supported by the football federation of Estonia. The team will come to
Lusatia with 16 players, 2 trainers and support staff.
Minority: Selection of the minorities from Estonia
Region: Estonia
Organisation: ERÜ
Contact: Sergej Ischenko, Erika Weber
Email: erika.wbr@gmail.com, dnipro@hot.ee
B1 Hungarian Gipsy Selected Football Team
(roma from Hungary)
The Hungarian Roma football selection Hungarian Gipsy Selected Football Team has been
existing since the year 1992.
The team was founded to give young Roma the chance to prove their talent and to use the
integrative power of sports.
The team is supported by the Hungarian football federation and its minority committee and
consists of the best young Roma football players, who are carefully recruited from all over
Hungary by the management of the team.
The selection participates in tournaments in Hungary and abroad and represents the
Republic of Hungary in tournaments abroad. For Roma in Hungary it is often hard to play in
regular teams and – if they succeed – they often have to face discrimination.
The Roma are one of the largest population groups in Europe, who have their origin in
India and who make up large minorities in many other countries. A large part of the 10-12
million Roma in Europe is living under unacceptable conditions.
In Hungary, the Roma are the largest minority with 400,000-600,000 people. They are
settled in 2000 of the circa 3200 Hungarian villages spread over the country.
EuropEada 2012 5

Minority: Roma from Hungary
Contact: Istvan Mezei
Email: istvan.mezei@freemail.hu
www.mlsz.hu
B2 rusdeutsch (Germans from russia)
The team RusDeutsch represents the selection of the German minority in Russia.
The term Russlanddeutsche (Germans in Russia) describes those people of German ancestry
who came in the course of several centuries to Russia and who settled there. The different
regions in which they lived influenced the life and culture of the Germans. Nowadays
the Germans are about 0.41% of the total population of Russia. Most Germans (circa
350,000) can be found in Siberia. The International Association of German Culture (IVDK)
is the oldest civil association of the Germans in Russia.
The team consists of 22 players and a team of trainers. It will be supported by about
50 young people who will be at a language camp in the Zittau mountains during the
EUROPEADA.
Minority: Germans in Russia
Region: Russia
Organisation: Internationaler Verband der deutschen Kultur (IVDK)
Contact: Kirill Jawlianski
Email: avangard@ivdk.ru
www.rusdeutsch.eu
B3 Squadra rumantscha (the rhaeto-romansh)
The Rhaeto-Romansh hosted the first EUROPEADA in 2008. In the Canton of Graubünden,
where three language regions of Europe and their cultures come together, the first
European football championship of the autochthonous, national minorities took place.
The Rhaeto-Romansh people are a Romansh-speaking minority. Rhaeto Romansh is
among the four officially recognised languages in Switzerland. There are about 60,000
speakers. In the Alpine valleys this language that originates from Latin diverged further
and nowadays 5 dialects can be distinguished (Surselvan, Sutselvan, Surmeir, Vallader and
Puter). There is a common written language called Rumantsch Grischun.
The Lia Rumantscha – the Domowina of the Rhaeto-Romansh people – is the organisation
EuropEada 2012 6

ehind the current selection together with the GiuRu and the international cultural
center „Disentis“, who will come with 16 players, trainer and support staff and will be
accompanied by the youth organisation Giuventegna Rumantscha (GiuRu).
Minority: Rhaeto-Romansh
Region: Graubünden
Organisation: Lia Rumantscha
Contact: Simona Cajacob
Email: simona.cajacob@rumantsch.ch
www.liarumantscha.ch
B4 Young Slovaks from Hungary
(Slovakian minority from Hungary)
The team of the Slovakian Youth Organisation in Hungary (SYOH) represents the Slovak
minority in Hungary.
The minority, who lives for a large part on the border with Slovakia, consists of about
100,000 people. The aim of SYOH is to preserve the Slovakian culture and traditions
amongst the young generation.
With 16 committed amateur players the young Slovaks from Hungary will participate at
the EUROPEADA for the first time in 2012.
Minority: Slovak minority from Hungary
Region: Hungary
Organisation: Celoštátna slovenská samospráva
Contact: Dr. Zoltan Szabo
Email: dr.szabo.zoltan77@gmail.com
www.slovaci.hu
C1 The Croats from Serbia (Croatian minority from Serbia)
The Croats in Serbia have been recognised as a minority since 2002. The Croat minority
mainly lives in the region of Vojvodina. In Vojvodina there are many other minorities next to
the Serbs and the more than 50,000 Croats, amongst them Hungarians, Bosnians, Albanians,
Romanians, Bulgarians, Aromanians, Roma and Macedonians.
The team of the Croat minority in Serbia was formed in 2005 on the initiative of the Croat
football federation in order to organise football championships of the Croat minorities in
Europe.
EuropEada 2012 7

The team consists of amateur players, who belong to the Croat community in Serbia.
Its biggest successes were the second place at the EUROPEADA 2008 and winning the
European championship of the autochthonous Croatian national minorities 2011 in Zagreb/
Croatia.
Minority: Croat minority from Serbia
Region: Vojvodina, Serbia
Organisation: Democratic Union of Croats in Vojvodina
Contact: Ivan Budinčević
Email: ivanbudin@yahoo.com
www.dshv.rs
C2 The Western Thrace Turks
In Western Thrace, the region in the northeast of Greece from the border river Marica
between Turkey and Greece up to the river Nestos, 150,000 Turks are living, who came to
the region during the Ottoman conquests on the Balkans and who settled there.
In 1923 the minority rights of the 150,000 Turks were guaranteed by the Lausanne Peace
Treaty and the region was given to Greece. Still the Western Thrace Turks have to fight
against assimilation. Today they are a minority who is for the largest part living in exile.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABBTF) puts together a team for the
EUROPEADA 2012.
The team of the Western Thrace Turks will consist of players from the member organisations
of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABBTF) and from members of the
association “Turkish Union of Xanthi”, which is active in Greece. 16 Players, 1 trainer and 3
ancillary staff members will come to Lusatia.
Minority: Western Thrace Turks
Organisation: ABTTF (Avrupa Batı Trakya Türk Federasyonu) Witten (D)
Region: Western Thrace (Greece)
Contact: Oskan Resit, K. Engin Soyyilmaz
Email: info@abttf.org
www.abttf.org
C3 The Ladins
The Ladins are living in South Tyrol (Val Badia and Val Gardena), in Trentino (Val di Fassa)
and in the province of Belluno (Fodom and Ampezzo). The Ladins are a non-kin-state
EuropEada 2012 8

minority, in other words: a minority without a home country, with a language of their own.
The circa 50,000 people belonging to this minority are one of the Romansh-speaking
minorities in the Alps, next to the Friulians and the Rhaeto-Romansh.
They have kept their language, called Ladin or also Dolomitic Ladin, that thraces back
from the Roman origin and retained and fostered their own identity and culture over the
centuries. In the Ladin kindergartens the children are learning three language nowadays:
Ladin, German and Italian.
The first Ladin team was formed for a friendly game against the Rhaeto-Romansh from
Graubünden. For the EUROPEADA 2012 players from the Val Badia, Val Gardena, Val di
Fassa and Fodom-Ampezzo will participate – from the whole territory of “Ladinia”.
The team is selected and managed by Costabiei Giorgio, the president of the football
team ACD Val Badia. 20 Players and 10 support staff will be participating.
Minority: Ladins in Italy
Region: South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno
Organisation: Office for Ladin Culture and Ladin Assessorate of the Autonomous Province
Bozen/Bulsan
Contact: Giorgio Costabiei
Email: giorgio.costabiei@yahoo.it
C4 Nordfriislon (the North Frisians)
The North Frisians are living on the Schleswig-Holstein western coast and on the islands
of the North Friesland district (Föhr, Sylt, Amrum) and the island of Helgoland. The Frisian
language is the most important identifier of the North Frisians. About 10,000 people in
North Friesland speak Frisian and twice that number of people have a passive knowledge
of the language.
The Frisian minority has the right to protection and support according to Article 5 of the
Schleswig-Holstein Constitution. Since 2004 the Frisian-Act guarantees the rights of the
Frisians in the public sphere and gives the right to avow themselves as belonging to the
Frisian minority.
It caused a sensation, when the North Frisians sent a pure ladies-team to the EUROPEADA
2008 in Graubünden/Switzerland. In 2012 the team will mainly consist of players of SV
Frisia Risum-Lindholm. Risum-Lindholm is the main centre of the Frisian language on the
North Frisian mainland.
EuropEada 2012 9

Apart from the North Frisians there are also the West Frisians who live in the Netherlands
and the Sater Frisians in the district of Cloppenburg. The East Frisians no longer speak
Frisian anymore, but rather Low-German.
Minority: North Frisians
Region: North Friesland (Schleswig-Holstein)
Organisation: Friisk Foriining
Contact: Manfred Nissen
Email: info@friiske.de
www.friiske.de
d1 The selection of South Tyrol
(German-speaking part of the population from South Tyrol)
There are about 340,000 German-speaking South Tyroleans living in the Autonomous
Province of Bozen-South Tyrol. Their mother tongue, German, is an official language. The
South Tyroleans are a German minority in the Italian state.
The territory, which belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire before, was occupied and
annexed by Italy after the First World War. In the peace treaty of Saint-Germain in 1919
the southern part of Tyrol and the region of around Trento were given to Italy. Only after
long and tough negotiations a statute of autonomy was enacted in 1972, which then could
be continuously expanded. Therefore the German minority has substantial protection now.
The selection of South Tyrol consists of 16 players, two trainers, a physiotherapist, a
team manager and a delegation leader. The total team consists of representatives of the
German minority. The players are coming from all over South Tyrol. The selection of South
Tyrol is the defending champion of the EUROPEADA 2008.
Minority: German-speaking minority from South Tyrol (Italy)
Region: South Tyrol
Organisation: Autonomous Province Bozen-South Tyrol
Contact: Günther Heidegger (delegation leader)
Email: guenther.heidegger@athesia.it
www.suedtirol.it
EuropEada 2012 10

d2 The Hungarian-German Nationality Team
The team represents the Hungarian Germans. The first wave of settlements of the German
minority took place in the 12-13 century and then later another wave of settlements mainly
in the western part of Hungary took place in the 17-18 century. The number of Hungarian
Germans is estimated at 300,000 people. Strong assimilation makes that the number of
people who speak the typical dialect of the Hungarian Germans is continuously decreasing.
The Hungarian-German nationality team was founded by the Gemeinschaft Junger
Ungarndeutscher (the youth association of the Germans). The players were selected at the
annual football tournament of the association. Care is being taken that players from all
parts of Hungary are represented. Under the leadership of Emil Koch, 16 players will come
to the EUROPEADA 2012 in Lusatia.
Minority: Germans in Hungary
Organisations: Landesselbstverwaltung der Ungarndeutschen / Gemeinschaft Junger
Ungarndeutscher Budapest
Contact: Emil Koch
Email: emilkoch@gju.hu
www.gju.hu
www.ldu.hu
d3 Elbrusoid FC (Karachay-Balkars)
Already in 2008 a selection of the Karachay participated in the European championships.
The Karachay are living in the Northern Caucasus and are one of the “titular nations” of
the Karachay-Cherkess Republic in Russia. Their area of settlement borders Georgia and
is inhabited by 200,000 Karachay. They have their own language and belong to the Turkic
peoples. The Karachay are closely related to the Balkars – one of the titular nations of the
neighbouring Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.
They send their team “Elbrusoid FC” to the EUROPEADA 2012, with players from the
Moscow region.
Elbrusoid FC is the sports unit of the Elbrusoid Foundation. This is an organisation working
for the youth of the Karachay-Balkars. It is active in three regions of Russia: in Moscow, in
Karachayevsk (Karachay-Cherkess Republic) and in Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria-Republic).
Mount Elbrus, the highest double peak (5642 m) in Europe gives the team its name and
as border mountain range between the two republics it is also a national symbol of the
Karachay and the Balkars.
EuropEada 2012 11

Minority: Karachay-Balkar minority of Russia
Organisation: Karachay-Balkar cultural center
Contact: Azred Teberdiev
Email: teberdiev@gmail.com; elbrusoidfc@gmail.com
d4 The German North Schleswigans in denmark
(German minority from denmark)
On the other side of the German-Danish border in North Schleswig the German minority
from Denmark is living. The minority came into being after the plebiscite and the
determination of the border in 1920 and today consists of about 15,000 people.
The German minority has its own kindergartens, schools and libraries, is involved in church
and social activities, publishes its own daily newspaper and offers sports and cultural
activities in many associations. The German minority considers itself as bridge-builders
between the Danish and the German culture in the border region of Denmark and Germany.
The team of the German North Schleswigans consists of amateur-players from the minority.
The selection already participated in the first EUROPEADA in 2008 under its trainer Stefan
Boehme.
Minority: German minority from Denmark
Region: North Schleswig
Organisation: Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger
Contact: Uwe Jessen, Ulf-Mikael Iwersen
Email: generalsekretariat@bdn.dk, iwersen@bdn.dk
www.bdn.dk
www.nordschleswiger.dk
E1 det sydslesvigske landshold
(The danish minority in Germany)
The Danes are next to the Frisians, Sorbs and the Sinti and Roma one of the four officially
recognised minorities in the Federal Republic of Germany.
From the western to eastern coast of the German-Danish border in Schleswig-Holstein in
the north to the towns of Rendsburg/Eiderstedt in the south lies the area of settlement of
the Danish minority. About 50,000 people belong to the Danish minority, which distinguishes
itself mainly through its schools, churches, but also through its sports associations. The
EuropEada 2012 12

Sydslevigs danske Ungdomsforeninger (SdU) is the umbrella organisation of the Danish
sports and youth associations with around 12,000 members.
The “national football team” of the Danish minority Det sydslesvigske landshold was
founded in 2007 and reached a respectable third place at the first EUROPEADA in 2008.
The team consists of players who belong to the Danish minority. They mainly come from the
associations of IF Stjernen Flensborg (regional-league), DGF Flensborg, Slesvig IF and IF
Tønning (all district league). A friends’ association is supporting the team.
Minority: Danish minority in South Schleswig (D)
Region: German-Danish border region / Schleswig-Holstein
Organisation: Sydslesvigs danske Ungdomsforeninger (SDU)
Contact: Kaj Andersen, Ruwen Möller
Email: kaj@sdu.de
www.sdu.de
www.sdu-landshold.de
E2 Cimbrians-Lusérn F.C. (Cimbrians)
The Cimbrians are a population of German ancestry who came from Bavaria to the Italian
Alpine foothills of Veneto and Trentino during the middle Ages. In this way the Cimbrians
settled into the newly available farmsteads in the mountains and developed a culture and
language of their own, as they were to a large extend isolated from the outside world.
Luserna/Lusern, a small mountain village (1333 m) southeast of Trento has now become
the last language enclave where Cimbrian is spoken, an old Bavarian language or an old
German dialect that became extinct in Bavaria already centuries ago. And still by 90% of
the population, i.e. by circa 300 people. The last census of 2001 however shows a positive
trend; in the province of Trento alone 862 “Cimbrians” were counted.
Under the aegis of the Lusern Cultural Institute, the Cimbrians already participated in the
EUROPEADA 2008.
Minority: Cimbrians – German language enclave in Italy
Region: Trentino
Organisation: Kulturinstitut Lusern
Contact: Lorenzo Baratter
Email: direttore@istitutocimbro.it
http://www.kulturinstitut.it
EuropEada 2012 13

E3 Clwb Cymric (the Welsh)
Clwb Cymric is a Welsh football club from Cardiff. The club was formed in 1969 by a
group of friends who play football and want to promote the community by using the Welsh
language at the same time.
Wales lies in the west of Great Britain and forms together with England, Northern Ireland
and Scotland the United Kingdom. In contrast to the other territories Wales, because of
strong resistance and its rough terrain, was never conclusively conquered by the Anglo-
Saxons and therefore stayed Celtic. Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe but is
still a living language, used by around 20% of the population of Wales.
The formation of the National Assembly of Wales in 1997, has given the Welsh language
further status and political support. In 2010 the Welsh language was recognised as an
official language within Wales. The revitalisation of the Welsh language over the past 40
years is one of the most positive examples of language promotion in Europe.
The Welsh send a delegation of 16 players to Lusatia. Clwb Cymric are currently
experiencing one of its most successful periods in the club‘s history. Clwb Cymric were proud
to represented Wales at EUROPEADA 2008 in Switzerland and is again looking forward to
participate in the EUROPEADA 2012.
Minority: Welsh
Region: Wales
Organisation: Clwb Cymric Cardiff
Contact: Huw Jones
Email: hpjones@cardiffmet.ac.uk
www.clwbcymric.com/
www.wales.com
E4 occitanie of football (occitans)
Occitanie of football – is the Occitan representation at the EUROPEADA 2012.
Occitan is a seperate Romance language, also called langue d’oc. The language is
disseminated over a wide area encompassing the whole south of France, and ranges into
Spain and Italy. According to estimates, the language is still spoken by several million
people.
The team of Occitania is a selection of amateur football players, who have been united
by the organisation Occitana de Fotbòl, whose aim is to promote the Occitan identity and
culture. Already in 2008 the team participated in the EUROPEADA 2008 in Graubünden.
The Occitans are also involved in the VIVA World Cup – the world football federation of
the countries not recognised by FIFA.
EuropEada 2012 14

Minority: Occitans
Region: Languedoc /South of France
Organisation: Association Occitania de Fotbòl (A.O.F.)
Contact: Sebastien Picard, Aymeric Amiel
Email: sbastienpicard@yahoo.fr
www.occitania-fotbol.com
EuropEada 2012 15