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Fan dies of heart attack during Dortmund-Mainz game
13 March 2016
One supporter died of a heart attack and another was rushed to hospital during Borussia Dortmund's home match against Mainz on Sunday.
Dortmund claimed a routine 2-0 win thanks to goals from Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa, but events at Signal Iduna Park were overshadowed by tragic events in the stands.
Much of the game was played out in front of a subdued crowd as news of the heart attacks filtered through, with Dortmund confirming after the game: "There have been two tragic incidents inside the stadium during the game.
"Unfortunately, one of the people did not make it and passed away. We have been informed that the second person's situation is stable.
"Our thoughts are with the victims' families."
Reus, meanwhile, confirmed that the players were unaware of the tragedy until after the final whistle.
"The players did not know anything about what happened and we were a bit annoyed that the entire stadium went silent," the told Sky.
"The coach told us immediately after the game what had happened. All of a sudden this match is no longer important."
Monchengladbach director questions Odegaard´s Madrid progress
14 March 2016
Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl believes Martin Odegaard's development has been hindered by his move to Real Madrid.
Teenage sensation Odegaard was heavily linked with Monchengladbach and a host of other leading European clubs before moving from Stromsgodset to Madrid in January 2015.
The Norway international became the youngest debutant in the Liga club's history at 16 years and 157 days old, appearing as a substitute on the final day of last season in a 7-3 win over Getafe.
Odegaard has been restricted to duty for Madrid's second-string Castilla team this term, amid a sense his progress has stalled.
Eberl believes the midfielder would already have Champions League experience under his belt had he opted to join Borussia.
"Sure, you could say what would Gladbach be able to do against the biggest clubs in Europe?," Eberl told Kicker.
"But I am convinced Odegaard would be a Bundesliga player in Gladbach.
"He would have played Champions League with us. At Real he has a hard time at the moment."
Slaven Bilic has confirmed his interest in taking Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Havard Nordtveit to West Ham, but says several clubs are in the race for his signature.
Gladbach confirmed earlier this week that Norway international Nordtveit would not be renewing his contract with the Bundesliga club in order to pursue a move to the Premier League.
West Ham have been tipped as the front-runners for his signature with Liverpool and former club Arsenal, for whom he did not make a competitive appearance, also said to be interested.
And Hammers manager Bilic says he is keeping a close eye on developments.
"Many clubs are interested in Nordtveit and monitoring the situation," he said at a news conference ahead of West Ham's Premier League contest at Chelsea on Saturday.
"We are also interested in him."
West Ham have won three straight Premier League matches and lost just one of their past seven - form that has left them just two points adrift of the Champions League places in fifth.
They next travel to Stamford Bridge to face a Chelsea side whose hopes of silverware this season ended after they were knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup by Paris Saint-Germain and Everton.
But Bilic warned of a Chelsea backlash, adding: "They went out a couple of competitions last week.
"They were very positive so maybe they were more focused on the Champions League and the FA Cup but now they're out maybe it's harmed the confidence and atmosphere at their training ground.
"But on the other hand they are also thinking there's nine games to go and if they click they can finish very, very high also.
"In that sense it's not a great time because now they have only the Premier League and make no mistake I'm expecting them to be really hungry and totally focused on the Premier League."
Leverkusen confirm Calhanoglu involvement in FIFA dispute
17 March 2016
Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed their midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is involved in a legal dispute with FIFA that relates to a contract he signed with Trabzonspor in 2011.
The Bundesliga club expects the proceedings to last for "several months", during which time Calhanoglu will remain eligible to play.
The 22-year-old German-born Turkey international came through the ranks at Karlsruher, who he represented between 2009 and 2013 – albeit on-loan from Hamburg during the 2012-13 season.
As a 17-year-old, Calhanoglu signed a deal with Trabzonspor to join them for 2012-13 but the move collapsed.
He joined Leverkusen from Hamburg on a five-year deal in 2014 and his current employers issued a statement to clarify that the dispute does not relate to this transfer.
"FIFA and Bayer 04 Leverkusen player Hakan Calhanoglu are currently involved in a legal dispute," the statement read.
"The case relates to a contract with the Turkish first division club Trabzonspor who Calhanoglu signed for as a minor at the age of 17. The agreement envisaged the midfielder playing for Trabzonspor from the 2012-2013 campaign.
"The move did not take place at the time primarily due to the lack of agreement between Hakan's former club Karlsruher SC and Trabzonspor.
"The case is expected to last for several months. Hakan Calhanoglu remains entitled to continue playing football."
Calhanoglu has scored eight goals in 39 matches this season for Leverkusen, who will aim to turn around a 2-0 deficit in the home leg of their Europa League last -16 clash against Villarreal on Thursday.
Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng is edging closer to his comeback after spending the past two months on the sidelines due to injury.
The Germany international suffered an adductor problem in Bayern's 2-1 win over Hamburg on January 22 and there were initially fears he could be out of action for the remainder of the 2015-16 campaign.
However, Boateng recently resumed individual training and he aims to return to match action within three to four weeks.
"I hope to be able to play again halfway through April," Boateng told ZDF.
"I am at 60 or 70 per cent again right now. I will have to be patient for a bit.
"I will definitely not take any risks."
Boateng's comments mean he is unlikely to feature in the Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica, with the first leg at the Allianz Arena scheduled for April 5 and the return in Lisbon taking place on April 13.
The 27-year-old could make his comeback at home against Schalke on April 16 or three days later in the DFB Pokal versus Werder Bremen.
Rummenigge tells City to forget about signing Bayern stars
20 March 2016
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has hit out at Manchester City sporting director Txiki Begiristain following his recent comments they could sign players from the Bundesliga champions.
City have been linked with a number of Bayern stars ever since the announcement that Pep Guardiola will take charge at City next season and Begiristain further fuelled speculation when he refused to rule out a move for any players at the Allianz Arena.
Nevertheless, Rummenigge has warned City that Bayern have no intention of selling anyone to the Premier League side.
"I was quite surprised about my Manchester City colleague's comments," Rummenigge was quoted as saying by Bild.
"Contracts are contracts and they should be respected, also by Manchester City."
David Alaba was one of the players heavily linked with City, but the Austria international ended all speculation about his future by signing a new deal with Bayern until June 2021, much to the delight of Rummenigge.
"Bayern Munich always want to be the team in charge. That is always our goal," he added.
"We also managed to achieve that in the case of Alaba. Bayern were the club calling the shots. And not some club from England with the crazy offers they can make."
The former representative of Borussia Dortmund's star striker has revealed that he left AC Milan because the coaches at the Italian club were not fair with him
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's former agent Yvan Le Mee has made it clear the Borussia Dortmund star left AC Milan because he felt he was not treated right.
The 26-year-old joined the Italian club's academy in January 2007, but left San Siro before breaking into the first team.
He enjoyed loan spells with Dijon, Lille, Monaco and Saint-Etienne before eventually joining the latter on a permanent deal in 2011.
However, Le Mee says things could have gone differently had his former youth coaches at Milan not favoured Italian youngsters over Aubameyang.
"Aubameyang was scoring some amazing goals for Milan, but we realised that he was not playing much with Milan's Primavera [youth] team because their coach favoured Italian players over him and kept Auba out of the team," Le Mee told Le 10 Sport.
"At that time, we got in touch with Dijon over a transfer. After pushing really hard for six months, Milan eventually accepted a loan offer from Dijon.
"And at Dijon, he scored eight goals and provided six more at the tender age of 19. How many players of that age have achieved that?"
Since leaving Milan Aubameyang has not looked back, the Gabon international is in sublime form again this campaign with 35 goals in all competitions, and Le Mee feels he is arguably one of the best strikers in the world.
"Right now, Aubameyang is the fifth-best attacker in the world for me," he added.
"Only [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez, Neymar and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic are better than him. He is better than [Robert] Lewandowski and [Sergio] Aguero.
"He is a good person, someone who works really hard. Plus he has always had his technical skills.
"He got where he is now because of his hard work. But you don't reach this level without being very talented."
Werder Bremen appeal three-game ban for Djilobodji
22 March 2016 18:39
Werder Bremen have appealed the three-game ban handed to Papy Djilobodji for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a throat-slitting gesture in the 1-1 draw with Mainz on Saturday.
The 27-year-old, on loan at Werder from Chelsea, made the signal at a grounded Pablo de Blasis after battling for possession with the attacker during the Bundesliga clash, something the German Football Association (DFB) took a dim view of.
However, Werder refuse to accept the DFB's decision and have appealed the centre-back's suspension.
"Werder have been told by the DFB that Papy Djilobodji has been handed a three-match ban. Werder do not agree with this decision and have decided to appeal the decision," a statement on the Bremen website read.
"Papy Djilobodji has been accused of unsportsmanlike conduct. The disciplinary board have made the decision in accordance with the ban they gave to Deniz Naki in 2009."
Former St. Pauli man Naki was sanctioned back in 2009 for a similar gesture toward Hansa Rostock fans, but Bremen CEO Thomas Eichin believes there are significant differences between both cases.
"We maintain that the ruling of a three-match ban is unjustifiable," Eichin commented.
"Above all, we believe that, under the circumstances, the severity and the wrongdoing in this case was lesser than that of the Naki case."
Djilobodji is already due to serve a one-match ban after collecting five yellow cards this season.
Papy Djilobodji has been handed a two-game ban for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a throat-slitting gesture in Werder Bremen's 1-1 draw with Mainz on Saturday.
The 27-year-old, on loan at Werder from Chelsea, made the signal at a grounded Pablo de Blasis after battling for possession with the attacker during the Bundesliga clash.
A three-match suspension for the Chelsea loanee had initially been proposed by the German Football Association (DFB) - a similar sanction to that of St Pauli's Deniz Naki for making the gesture toward Hansa Rostock fans in 2009 - but Werder appealed Tuesday's ruling.
Bremen's appeal has been partially successful, but they will nonetheless be without the centre-back in their upcoming games.
"The DFB disciplinary board has handed out a two-match ban as well as a €15,000 fine to Papy Djilobodji," a statement on the club's website read.
"It followed Werder's claim that the provocative element of the player's gesture was not as severe as in the case of Naki in 2009, who received a three-match ban.
"The player and Werder Bremen will not appeal the punishment and accept the decision. Papy Djilobodji will therefore be suspended for the games against [Borussia] Dortmund and Augsburg, before also missing the game against Wolfsburg as a result of his fifth yellow card."
CEO Thomas Eichin believes Djilobodji will be thoroughly missed in the battle against relegation, but Werder are keen to draw a line under the incident.
"Papy's suspension hits us hard and is obviously a serious disadvantage for us in the battle to stay up," Eichin commented.
"We won't bemoan the situation, however. We'll be professional about it. We've accepted the decision to bring some closure to the issue and to allow us to focus on what happens on the pitch.
"We also want to protect our player, who has been excessively vilified in the media for a thoughtless gesture. The current tendency to respond in an exaggerated manner to the actions of young people is something we should all think about."
Mario Gotze is "not 100 per cent satisfied" at Bayern Munich according to team-mate Thomas Muller.
Gotze has made just 12 appearances in all competitions for the Bundesliga leaders in 2015-16 after struggling to hold down a first-team place.
While injuries have played their part, Gotze has been linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena at the end of the season.
He recently resumed regular training after overcoming a hamstring problem, but has featured just once since re-joining his team-mates at Bayern.
"I speak with Mario and think he is not 100 per cent satisfied with his situation at Bayern." Muller told a news conference ahead of Germany's friendly clash with England on Saturday.
"I am not Mario's agent, so I am not going to speak about his future."
Nevertheless, Muller is confident Gotze still has a major role to play with the national team, for whom he scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final.
"Mario brings a quality that he always had," he added. "I hope that he plays well with the national team and he can take advantage of his time."
Werder Bremen defender Papy Djilobodji has apologised for the throat-slitting gesture that landed him a two-match ban.
Djilobodji, who is on loan at the Bundesliga club from Chelsea, aimed the signal towards Mainz player Pablo de Blasis during Saturday's 1-1 draw.
The 27-year-old was also handed a €15,000 fine and will miss the forthcoming matches against Borussia Dortmund and Augsburg as Bremen battle relegation.
"I apologize for my gesture, that should not happen on or next to a football field," Djilobodji said in a post on his Twitter page.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to Pablo de Blasis just like all football fans around the world. I'll come back stronger. "
Borussia Dortmund would be open to selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the event of a world-record transfer bid, according to sporting director Hans-Joachim Watzke.
The Gabon international has made no secret of his desire to play for Real Madrid in future and has been linked with a sensational move at the end of the season.
Reports in Spain in the past week have suggested that Zinedine Zidane's side are readying an offer which could rival the record €100million fee that they paid Tottenham to sign Gareth Bale in 2013.
And Watzke admits that such an amount would force Dortmund to consider parting with the striker, who has scored 35 goals in all competitions this season.
"If at some point we get an offer of €100million or €120m for Aubameyang, then we'll talk," he told Kicker.
Aubameyang, who signed a new five-year contract at Signal Iduna Park last July, suggested recently that he is in no rush to force an exit from the Bundesliga.
"I've never hidden that I'd like to play for Real Madrid one day, but I extended my contract with Dortmund until 2020 for a reason," he told Kicker. "I feel very good here."
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben will be ready to return to team training within the next week, according to his father.
A thigh injury has seen the 31-year-old miss the Bundesliga champions' last three matches, as well as the two Netherlands friendly matches with France and England.
Reports in Germany have suggested Robben will be sidelined until at least the middle of April, meaning he would miss both legs of Bayern's Champions League quarter-final with Benfica.
However, Hans Robben - who also acts as his son's agent - has moved to calm any fears of a long-term recovery.
"Arjen will start training again next week," he told NOS.
Bayern resume their Bundesliga campaign against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday before next Tuesday's home leg with Benfica.
Bayer Leverkusen 3 Wolfsburg 0: Substitute Hernandez stars for hosts
1 April 2016 23:31
Bayer Leverkusen recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Wolfsburg on Friday to move up to fourth place in the Bundesliga.
Julian Brandt opened the scoring in the 27th minute, exchanging passes with Hakan Calhanoglu before sending a shot beyond visiting goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.
Sent on at the start of the second half after scoring in Mexico's World Cup qualifier last week, substitute Javier Hernandez doubled Leverkusen's advantage with his 15th Bundesliga goal of a highly productive season.
The 27-year-old, who had failed to find the net for his club in their last five fixtures, was allowed time outside the area to curl home a low, right-footed effort that left Benaglio rooted to the spot.
Hernandez then set up fellow substitute Vladlen Yurchenko to score Leverkusen's third in the 87th minute, meaning Wolfsburg are now winless in three Bundesliga matches heading into the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Leverkusen have won their past three league fixture to sit fourth in the standings, albeit temporarily, as fifth-placed Schalke face Ingolstadt on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic will miss the remainder of 2015-16 due to thrombosis in his arm.
Subotic cannot take any part in contact sports as he recovers from the issue, even though he will be able to train individually in order to stay fit.
"Under the circumstances I am doing relatively well," the centre-back commented on his injury.
"I can stay fit with individual training and when I have recuperated again I will be in better physical condition than ever before."
Subotic, 27, has lost his starting berth at BVB following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, making just 11 appearances in all competitions this campaign.
The defender's absence means Slovenian youngster Jon Stankovic will make the step up from the reserves for the remainder of the season.
"We will promote Stankovic from our Under-23 squad to take Subotic's place in the squad following his absence," stated Tuchel at a news conference.
Dortmund are still challenging for the Bundesliga title - trailing leaders Bayern Munich by five points - as well as the Europa League, with Liverpool awaiting in the quarter-finals, while they meet Hertha Berlin in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.
Bundesliga Review: Schalke beaten as Champions League race heats up
2 April 2016
Schalke were unable to recover fourth position in the Bundesliga from Bayer Leverkusen as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Ingolstadt on Saturday, as the race for the European places heats up.
Leverkusen moved into the Champions League qualifying spots by beating Wolfsburg 3-0 on Friday, and Schalke's slip-up means they will stay outside the top four this weekend.
Ingolstadt went ahead in the the 29th minute when Moritz Hartmann converted from the penalty spot after Dario Lezcano was fouled by Junior Caicara inside the box.
Lukas Hinterseer doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, and Lezcano completed the scoring with 25 minutes remaining.
Mainz also remain in the hunt for a Champions League spot after recovering from Caiuby's opener to win 4-2 at home to Augsburg.
Brazilian Caiuby handed the Bavarian side a ninth-minute lead, but Christian Clemens hit back for minutes later and completed his double following a pair of strikes from team-mate Pablo De Blasis.
A phenomenal Franck Ribery overhead kick from 20 yards was enough for Bayern Munich to overcome Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Their advantage at the summit remains five points, with Borussia Dortmund edging out Werder Bremen 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring his 23rd top-flight strike this season in an enthralling second half.
Bottom side Hannover suffered a fifth straight defeat as they went down 3-0 at home to Hamburg, while Darmstadt drew their fourth successive match, 2-2 against Stuttgart.
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke does not fear losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the cheap amid reports linking him with Real Madrid as the prolific attacker does not have a buyout clause in his contract.
Aubameyang recently revealed that he dreams of playing for Madrid one day, with reports from Germany suggesting a move to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season is already a done deal.
But Watzke insisted there is no truth in such claims and is confident of keeping the 26-year-old, adding that he would know if Madrid were indeed after his key player.
"Aubameyang's Madrid dream? You can count on it that I would know if Madrid had the same dream," Watzke told Welt am Sonntag.
"I have a great relationship with Madrid president Florentino Perez and I think I would know if they wanted him.
"We renewed Aubameyang's contract until 2020 without a buyout clause because we want to be successful with him."
Aubameyang has been sublime form for Dortmund this campaign, scoring 36 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Hannover have confirmed the sacking of head coach Thomas Schaaf after the Bundesliga's bottom club lost a fifth successive league match on Saturday.
A 3-0 home defeat to Hamburg left Hannover 10 points adrift at the bottom of the table with only six matches remaining.
Following a run of defeats with only one goal scored in five games, Hannover confirmed that Schaaf - who signed an 18-month deal to coach the club in December 2015 - has been sacked.
Hannover director Martin Bader explained that Schaaf has been let go as the club wants to end the season with "impetus".
"Thomas has followed his work always very meticulously and focused," Bader said. "He, along with his coaching team, exhausted all possibilities to achieve positive results with the team. Unfortunately, this has not succeeded.
"After the 10th defeat in our 11th game we have therefore come to the conclusion that we do not want to end the season [in this way] and try to enter next season with a new impetus with the change in the manager position."
Schaaf's assistants Wolfgang Rolff and Matthias Honerbach have also been sacked, with youth coach Daniel Stendel placed in temporary charge.
Cologne director apologises for throwing gum at opposition
4 April 2016 04:12
Cologne sporting director Jorg Schmadtke apologised for throwing gum at the Hoffenheim bench during a fiery clash between the two sides in the Bundesliga.
Cologne were heading for a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim courtesy of Simon Zoller's strike in the 69th minute, but Kevin Volland scored a controversial equaliser in stoppage time to seal a 1-1 result on Sunday.
The goal came while Cologne defender Lukas Klunter was on the ground in the opposition half, with TV cameras spotting Schmadtke throwing his chewing gum in the direction of the Hoffenheim bench.
Schmadtke admitted he threw the gum and revealed he called Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen after the game to offer his apology.
"Yes, I threw it. It was a reaction," Schmadtke is quoted as saying by Bild.
"I have already phoned up the Hoffenheim sporting director, Alexander Rosen, and apologised. I am sorry."
It is not the first time Schmadtke has been embroiled in controversy after the 52-year-old was fined €6,000 in January for calling officials "eggheads".
The draw saw Cologne drop to 11th in the Bundesliga table, while Hoffenheim moved one point clear of the relegation zone.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is confident Robert Lewandowski's long-term future lies at Bayern Munich and refuses to be drawn on speculation the Poland international could be on the move.
Recent reports suggest the prolific attacker is close to signing a contract renewal, but Cezary Kucharski - one of Lewandowski's representatives - has previously claimed Real Madrid are interested in signing the striker.
Bayern have no interest in playing games, though, and remain confident the 27-year-old will stay put.
"I am not commenting on Lewandowski's potential renewal," club chief executive Rummenigge told Kicker.
"We are not joining his agent [in playing] games.
"Taking a look at his contract length gives us reasons to be relaxed about the future."
Lewandowski's deal with Bayern runs until June 2019.
The striker has been in superb form for the Bundesliga champions this campaign, scoring 36 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.
