German fan Amjad hangs 7.5km-long flag again

Amjad Hossain (72) has been making and displaying German flags ahead of every FIFA World Cup for years. This time as well, he has hung a nearly 7.5-kilometre-long flag. His dream is that one day the massive flag will find a place in a museum in Germany.

On Wednesday morning, Amjad displayed the 7.5-kilometre-long flag he had made at the Nischintapur Secondary School playground in Magura Sadar upazila. Football enthusiasts crowded the field to witness the event, which was accompanied by music and festivities. In the morning, the flag, wrapped to resemble a football, was brought to the venue on a small truck as part of a colourful procession. When it was later unfurled in the presence of supporters, the entire area turned festive.

Many football fans even travelled from Dhaka to Magura to see Amjad’s unique arrangement. One visitor at the ground said he had been attending the flag displays since 2006. According to him, the football fever that has spread throughout the area is unprecedented.

A farmer by profession, Amjad Hossain lives in the Ghoramara area of Magura municipality. A special memory lies behind his deep affection for Germany. Around 2004–05, he suffered from a complicated physical illness. He later recovered after taking a medicine imported from Germany on a doctor’s recommendation. Out of gratitude, he decided to make a German flag as a symbol of his admiration during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

That year, Amjad made a flag about 1.5 kilometres (350 yards) long. Since then, the length of the flag has increased with every World Cup—2.5 kilometres in 2010, 3.5 kilometres in 2014, 5.5 kilometres in 2018, and 7.5 kilometres in 2022. This year, he has displayed the same 7.5-kilometre-long German flag.

Although he initially did not receive support from his family, Amjad remained steadfast in his decision. To increase the length of the flag, he even sold land. In 2014, he sold about 20 decimals of land to make the 3.5-kilometre-long flag, and before the 2018 World Cup he sold another 10 decimals.

After Germany won the World Cup in 2014, Amjad arranged for local residents to watch matches at his home using a projector. He also slaughtered a cow and hosted a feast for people in the area.

Amjad Hossain’s unusual initiative attracted the attention of the German Embassy. In 2014, then German Chargé d’Affaires Ferdinand von Weyhe visited Magura, honoured him, and granted him lifetime membership in the Germany national football team’s fan club.

Expressing hope of making the flag even longer in the future, Amjad said, “This flag is no less precious to me than my children.” His final wish, however, is to see the enormous flag preserved in a museum in Germany.