Eight Protestant pastors against eight Muslim imams in a match controlled by three Jewish referees: when football matches of this kind are organized, the final result clearly takes second place. Just for the record, however, the Protestant team won 12 to 1. The unusual ecumenical match – promoted by the Ecumenical Council of the Churches and the Protestant Church of Berlin and Brandenburg – was held in Berlin on Saturday 6 May, just a month before the opening of the Football World Cup, due to take place in Germany from 9 June to 9 July. “We came here spontaneously, without preparation, just for the fun of it”, explained Rad Wan Awad, imam of Berlin’s NeuKolln quarter. “This kind of fixture enables us to get to know each other better and thus avoid false clichés that make us doubt in each other”. The idea is the brainchild of a member of the Anglican Community in Berlin who proposed a repeat of an initiative already successfully tested in Leicester, in England, in January, but there it was the Muslim team that trounced the Protestants 6 to 1.
