Manchester City's ex-goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, a former prisoner of war who famously played in the 1956 FA Cup Final with a broken neck, has launched a foundation to improve Anglo-German relations.
The projected annual budget of around £250,000 will pay for political and cultural workshops for young Germans and Britons and internships abroad for budding football managers.
The Trautmann Foundation will officially launch next year, once start-up cash has been raised from campaigns in the UK and Germany.
Trautmann, 82, who received an OBE this week, is registering the charity in Germany. "Football is an instrument for bringing people together," said a spokesman.
The foundation wants to improve Britons' perceptions of Germany. Though Britain is viewed positively in Germany, the reverse is not the case, claimed the spokesman.
