Press release
Premier League club Werder Bremen supports the #LemonChallengeMECFS
Bremen, Hamburg, 17 March 2025
On the day of the match at Werder Bremen, players and numerous fans bit into lemons on Saturday. With the #LemonChallengeMECFS, they called for more attention to be paid to the serious and often invisible disease ME/CFS, which also affects many football fans.
On Saturday, Werder Bremen and its fans supported the #LemonChallengeMECFS on match day against Borussia Mönchengladbach, calling for more attention and research for ME/CFS patients. The players Leonardo Bittencourt, Larissa Mühlhaus, Oliver Hüsing, stadium announcer Arndt Zeigler, as well as numerous fans in front of and inside the sold-out Weser Stadium were there. The match day event was the first ME/CFS awareness event with the official participation of a Bundesliga club.
Stadium visitors were motivated and informed with information stands, posters, flyers and a video in the stadium. Stadium announcer Arndt Zeigler interviewed Joerg Heydecke (founder of the foundation) live in the stadium before the game. Several hundred fans did the #LemonChallengeMECFS on their way to the stadium. The campaign was initiated and supported by the ‘Empty Stands’ (Instagram profile), an initiative of football fans from many clubs who are patients with ME/CFS, and the ME/CFS Research Foundation.
The sour faces can be seen on all social media channels and are growing every day. With the #LemonChallengeMECFS, the ME/CFS Research Foundation has been generating public attention, raising awareness and collecting donations for ME/CFS research since the end of last year. Since its launch in December, the #LemonChallengeMECFS has generated over 70,000 euros in donations. Many celebrities from the worlds of culture, sport and politics have shown their support with a short video. Among them are Robert Habeck, Heidi Reichinnek, Ricarda Lang, Julia Klöckner and Johannes Rauch (Austrian Minister of Health). The #LemonChallengeMECFS has been going viral on Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts and TikTok since the end of last year.
Football fans with ME/CFS launch the ‘Empty Stands’ initiative
With the claim ‘Missing in the stands - lost to ME/CFS’, fans suffering from ME/CFS founded the ‘Empty Stands’ initiative. They want to go back to the stadium and cheer on their teams. Football clubs and fans are called upon to support the initiative with actions and donations for education and research on ME/CFS. In addition to Werder Bremen, other clubs have pledged their support.
Fabian Fritz is one of the co-founders of Empty Stands. This is what he says about his life with ME/CFS: ‘I just check the score on the app. That's all I can physically manage. Unfortunately, activities lasting more than 30 minutes are already too much. When I'm having a good day, I listen to the radio of our active fan scene. But I've only managed that once in the last six months. After that, I had to lie in the dark for two days.’
Research funding for ME/CFS
More than 40 million patients worldwide suffer from this severe, often invisible disease. In Germany, it is assumed that over 620,000 people are affected. The bite into the lemon is symbolic of the sensory overload that patients experience – one of the many symptoms of this severe multisystem illness. So far, little research has been done on ME/CFS and there is no causal therapy. The donations from the #LemonChallengeMECFS will go entirely towards research funding.
Joerg Heydecke, founder and CEO of the ME/CFS Research Foundation, comments: ‘We are thrilled and encouraged by the great success of the #LemonChallengeMECFS. We are getting a lot of positive feedback from patients and their families, but also increasingly from celebrities and the general public. With this challenge, we want to draw attention to the medical and social catastrophe of this common but so far under-researched disease. Thanks to everyone who supports the #LemonChallengeMECFS and our work with their actions and donations!’
How to do the #LemonChallengeMECFS
Nominees are asked to (symbolically) bite into a lemon and to document their reaction to the extreme irritation of the sense of taste on video. Three more people will be nominated for #LemonChallengeMECFS. The campaign is accompanied by an appeal for donations in favour of ME/CFS research.
The ME/CFS Research Foundation is documenting the campaign on its website, providing instructions and showing selected ‘best of’ videos:
https://mecfs-research.org/lemonchallengemecfs-fussball/
Verwendung des Bildmaterials (Teil 1 und Teil 2) für redaktionelle Zwecke honorarfrei. Alle Rechte: ME/CFS Research Foundation und Empty Stands.
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Further information on ME/CFS, the foundation and current media coverage can be found in the press section of our website: https://mecfs-research.org/press/
Donation info: https://mecfs-research.org/spenden/
Donation account: DE35 2004 0000 0628 5316 00 (Commerzbank)
ME/CFS Research Foundation is a non-profit limited liability company and fulfils the statutory requirements according to §§ 51, 59, 60 and 61 AO (German tax laws). It may issue donation receipts within the meaning of Section 10b of the German Income Tax Act.
About ME/CFS Research Foundation
The non-profit ME/CFS Research Foundation, based in Hamburg, funds and supports biomedical research into ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) and Long COVID. The aim is to develop diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to improve the current inadequate standard of care. The foundation works closely with researchers and ME/CFS patient organisations.
Due to a lack of research to date, there is still no effective treatment for these common and serious multisystemic diseases. The foundation funds research projects, connects researchers, ensures transparency regarding research progress, and provides facts and resources to raise awareness.
About ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) and long COVID:
ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is a chronic, severe multisystemic condition characterised by a wide range of disorders, primarily affecting the nervous and immune systems. ME/CFS is predominantly post-infectious in origin, including as a consequence of COVID-19. It is the most severe form of Long COVID. People with ME/CFS experience pronounced physical and cognitive symptoms, a very low quality of life and often a high degree of disability. Between 60 and 75 per cent of all sufferers are unable to work, and many are confined to their homes or beds. The key symptom is severe exercise intolerance with a worsening of symptoms following everyday activities (post-exertional malaise, or PEM for short). Due to the current lack of biomarkers, diagnosing ME/CFS is only possible through a detailed medical history and multidisciplinary diagnostic process to rule out other conditions. Many doctors lack the necessary expertise. It often takes years for those affected to receive a diagnosis. To date, there is no effective treatment. Adults with ME/CFS currently have little prospect of recovery and reintegration into working life. The prognosis is better for children and young people, yet long-term absences from school are the norm. For most sufferers, participation in normal life—including work, education, friends, sport, hobbies, etc.—is not possible.
In Deutschland lag die Zahl der Menschen, die mit ME/CFS leben, im Jahr 2025 bei mehr als 657.000. Ein Teil der durch COVID-19 an Long COVID bzw. Post-COVID-Syndrom erkrankten Personen erfüllt die Diagnosekriterien für ME/CFS. Bereits vor der COVID-19-Pandemie lebten etwa 400.000 Menschen in Deutschland mit ME/CFS. Weltweit liegt die Zahl der Betroffenen bei weit über 40 Millionen. Die medizinische Versorgungslage der Erkrankten ist ungenügend. Oft kommt es zu Fehldiagnosen und daraus resultierenden Folgeschäden.
Die hohe Zahl der Betroffenen ist für alle Bereiche der Versorgung sowie auch ökonomisch, durch den krankheitsbedingten Ausfall von Ausbildungszeit und Arbeitskraft, ein zunehmend kritischer Faktor.
All the figures and sources mentioned can be found on our website: https://mecfs-research.org/was-ist-me-cfs