Miroslav Kloses gesture of honesty during Werder Bremens 31st match day tie against Armenia Bielefeld has resulted in the striker being awarded the Fair Play award by the German Olympic Commitee.
Miroslav Kloses gesture of honesty during Werder Bremens 31st match day tie against Armenia Bielefeld has resulted in the striker being awarded the Fair Play award by the German Olympic Commitee.
Miroslav Kloses gesture of honesty during Werder Bremens 31st match day tie against Armenia Bielefeld has resulted in the striker being awarded the Fair Play award by the German Olympic Commitee.
With the tie poised at 0:0, the German international went crashing down in the box under a challenge from Bielefeld keeper Mathias Hain. The referee had already decided on a penalty and a yellow card for the keeper but Klose openly admitted the goalkeeper had fairly won the ball and the referee retracted his decision. "During the now almost completed Bundesliga season, there have been unfortunately several situations during which players attempted to decieve the referees. For that reason, Miroslav Kloses honesty has proven to be exemplary", explained DOG-President Dr. Hans-Joachim Klein, who wishes for more professionals like Miro. "Thousands of young up and coming players watch their heroes every weekend on TV or in stadiums and try to emmulate their actions when they play themselves or in training. With that in mind the children should be led by example and taught about the importance of Fair-Play."
Miroslav Klose was delighted by the aknowledgement: "That's a valuable award. As professionals we are responsible for providing an example for the youngsters. It's important for the kids to see that it's possible to win fairly". The Green-White striker was also quick to point out that a football game can't be built just around 22 'Angels'. "Those on the pitch want to win. A part of that is the odd hard tackle or situation that can all be forgotten with a shake of the hand after the game. Fairness should play a big roll!!".
The German Olympic Commitee regularly awards fair play aknowledgements for exemplary fairness in sport. So far this year track and field athlete Bianca Kappler and cyclist Robert Bartko have picked up the award.
The Fair-Play award is an important element of the German sports Fair Play initiative which is supported by President Horst Köhler and is carried by the German Olympic Commitee, the German Sport Federation and the German Youth and National Olympic Commitee. The Olympic Commitee intend to use the value of fair conduct in sport especially in the childrens and youth divisions.