The city will honor Franz Beckenbauer, who died on January 7th, by naming a street or square after him. There was spontaneous political agreement on this after the news of his death, and now this plan has cleared the first hurdle. According to information from the SZ, the city council’s council of elders voted in favor of it last Friday and has already discussed possible locations internally. On Sunday, the CEO of FC Bayern, Jan-Christian Dreesen, rushed to visit a fan club in the Allgäu and, according to the Munich Mercury suggested the renaming of Werner-Heisenberg-Allee at the Fröttmaninger Arena.
This means that he is probably not far removed from city politics. In the Council of Elders, they are said to have also discussed the surrounding area of the esplanade on the way to the arena. As a second option, a square in Giesing should be considered, possibly a part of St. Martins Square. That would take Beckenbauer’s origins into account; the football field where he played his first games is in the immediate vicinity.
The city officials point out the confidential procedure that is usual for such an honor. The debates should remain internal so that possible differences of opinion do not cast a shadow over the designation. Municipal representative Kristina Frank (CSU) only confirmed that she had instructed her responsible office to look for suitable locations in order to be able to recommend them to the Council of Elders. “This will of course be coordinated closely with Franz Beckenbauer’s family and FC Bayern,” said Frank.
Renaming at the earliest one year after the date of death
We hear from city politicians that the decision could be made soon, but that the established procedure for renaming a street or a square must also be followed by Franz Beckenbauer. This means that experts and politicians have to agree. The fact that the Nobel Prize winner in physics Werner Heisenberg is simply deprived of his avenue and assigned to Franz Beckenbauer could meet with resistance. In principle, the honor can only take place one year after the date of death at the earliest.
Another award that FC Bayern is planning, according to CEO Dreesen, could possibly be implemented more quickly. At the suggestion of fans, a statue of Franz Beckenbauer is to be erected in front of the arena. He would be standing there near his former teammate Gerd Müller, who was also honored in this way.