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Bayern furious as Brazil pair to miss final
BERLIN, May 30, 2013 (AFP) - Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has branded it "unacceptable" that Luiz Gustavo and Dante must miss Saturday's German Cup final after the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) blocked them from playing.
Champions League winners Bayern play VfB Stuttgart at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Saturday and are bidding to become the first German team to win the treble of European, cup and league titles.
But defensive midfielder Gustavo and centre-back Dante are unavailable having been told they must report for Brazil duty on Saturday, two weeks before the start of the Confederation Cup, the 2014 World Cup warm-up, to be held from June 15-30.
Rummenigge said the players have been told their Brazil careers will be over if they failed to report with the Selecao before Saturday's deadline, set by world football's governing body FIFA.
"I would have liked to have had a debate about it. I find it inhuman, ruthless, unfair and unacceptable," said Rummenigge, having described the pressure put on the players by the CBF as "psychological terror".
Bayern had even spoken to Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, but to no avail, and Rummenigge said while they had tried to find "a friendly, amicable solution", the CBF held their ground with Dante and Gustavo due to fly home on Thursday.
"We sent back a polite letter and made our position clear," said Carlos Alberto Parreira, the CBF's technical director, with Brazil due to play a friendly against England in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Rummenigge also insisted the "original mistake" had been by the German Football Federation (DFB) for organising the final on June 1, amidst FIFA's window of international friendlies.
"Bayern Munich can't do anything, we are compelled to comply," fumed Rummenigge.
Both Dante and Gustavo had met in vain with Rummenigge, coach Jupp Heynckes and director of sport Matthias Sammer in a bid to find a solution.
"I had the impression that there is a kind of psychological terror being exercised, it would mean the end of their national careers if they did not arrive in time," said Rummenigge.
"What that means for the Brazilians and their relationship to their national team, one can only imagine."
Rummenigge also criticised FIFA for drawing up the calender: "It's all about the national bodies, nothing for the clubs and players".
Bayern vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger said the situation was "madness" for the Brazil pair involved.
Bayern are particularly annoyed at the CBF's stand point as Javi Martinez, who will play for Spain at the Confederation Cup, has been allowed to finish the season and will join the Spanish squad next week.
ryj/lp
Courtesy: ScoreMobile for Android (http://m.thescore.com/scoremobile)
Bayern oust Man United as top brand - report
LONDON, May 29, 2013 (AFP) - Champions League winners Bayern Munich have overtaken Manchester United as the most valuable brand in world football, according to a report released on Wednesday by London-based consultancy firm Brand Finance.
According to the report, Bayern are now valued at $860 million (669 million euros, £572 million), overtaking last year's top side United ($837 million) as football's most lucrative brand.
Spanish giants Real Madrid ($621 million) and Barcelona ($572 million) are third and fourth in the new ranking.
Bayern, who beat domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in Saturday's Champions League final at London's Wembley Stadium, have seen their brand value increase by 51 million euros compared to last season, while United's value has dropped by 20 million euros.
"The challenge now for all Bundesliga clubs and the league itself is to see if they can export their domestic brand strength into global opportunities," said Brand Finance's CEO David Haigh.
Interest in Bayern from overseas fans has shot up this season, with one million Munich replica shirts expected to be sold in 2013, compared to 600,000 in the 2012 calendar year.
By comparison, Dortmund have sold around 350,000 replica shirts this season.
The report's figures were calculated using a formula based on future turnover attributable to the brand name and reflect Bayern's growing power, with the Bavarians poised to become the first German club to win the treble of European Cup, German Cup and league titles.
"It's a record year in terms of turnover, as we'll break the 400 million euros turnover mark for the first time," said club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"No German club has ever been close before. Propelled by our success on the field, we're breaking every record off it, too. The club is in great shape for the future."
Bayern face Stuttgart on Saturday in the German Cup final, having already broken or equalled 25 German league records en route to success in the Bundesliga.
ryj-thw/as
Courtesy: ScoreMobile for Android (http://m.thescore.com/scoremobile)
Bayern's 'Immortals' target historic treble
BERLIN, May 29, 2013 (AFP) - Bayern Munich can make themselves 'immortal' by clinching an historic treble in Saturday's German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart, according to chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
The Champions League winners are bidding for a historic treble of European, league and cup titles at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, as they look to lift the domestic cup for the sixteenth time.
Bayern won the Bundesliga, setting or equalling 25 German league records, but can achieve the treble, which no other German team -- including the Munich side which won the European Cup for three consecutive years in the 1970s -- has achieved.
"This team has already entered the history books, but they can make themselves immortal now as the most successful Bayern team of all time," said Rummenigge.
"The generation including (Franz) Beckenbauer, (Gerd) Mueller and (Sepp) Meier in the 1970s, never managed to win the lot.
"The only mistake we could make, and it's doing the rounds in the media at the moment, is to think we're approaching the easiest part and we'll easily beat VfB Stuttgart.
"We won't! We have to concentrate 100 percent.
"Stuttgart didn't have a great Bundesliga season, but they can salvage the whole thing by beating the Champions League winners. Stuttgart will be totally motivated."
In the euphoria of their Wembley triumph, Rummenigge showed a lack of respect when he told the Bayern squad they should enjoy the post-Champions League celebrations as they can beat Stuttgart, even if tipsy.
"I'm surprised that he said that. You need to have a little respect for your opponents, but on the other hand, I can also understand that someone expresses themselves in a moment of euphoria," Stuttgart's director of sport Fredi Bobic told Sport Bild.
"Anyone who is afraid to go into the final should play golf."
Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia suggested Saturday's final is a David versus Golaith scenario, describing his team as a "small-vehicle manufacturer" compared to Bayern's "Mercedes Benz" production-line of top-class football.
"We actually considered in the past few days whether we should even compete at all," he sarcastically told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
"It's a good thing to play in a final and we believe you can beat a seemingly all-powerful team on a perfect day."
Labbadia said Stuttgart needed to prove they are "an absolutely solid team, plus have a few players - ideally all of them - that grow into the game", while Bayern would need to have "not one of their best days".
ryj/lp
Courtesy: ScoreMobile for Android (http://m.thescore.com/scoremobile)
jattsrobby wrote:no, 2pm, time listed as 1900, isnt that 2pm our time?
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