UEFA Euro 2012: Italy, Netherlands pay solemn visit to Auschwitz
The Italy and Netherlands teams have made solemn and emotional visits to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps.
- Associated Press
- Updated: June 06, 2012 05:27 PM IST
The Italy and Netherlands teams have made solemn and emotional visits to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps.
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In Poland for the European Championship, all 23 Italy players, coach Cesare Prandelli and team staff toured the former system of camps that Nazi Germany operated during World War II. They were escorted by three Italian survivors of the Holocaust - 81-year-old Samuel Modiano, 84-year-old Hanna Weiss and Piero Terracina.
At Birkenau, players sat on rail lines once used to bring prisoners in as the survivors explained their experiences of horror and survival after their families were exterminated. Moved to tears, players then embraced the trio one by one.
As Italy walked out, the Netherlands squad arrived for a similar visit.
Historians estimate that between 1.1 and 1.5 million people died in Auschwitz.