DORTMUND SIGN YARMOLENKO AFTER DEMBELE EXITS

German side Borussia Dortmund have completed the deal for Ukrainian AndriyYarmolenkofor an undisclosed fee.


The German Bundesliga outfit announced the deal just before Barcelona revealed that they have snapped up their target Ousmane Dembele.

The Catalan side wants Dembele to be the long term replacement for Brazilian forward Neymar Jr., who moved to Paris St Germain this summer. The deal for Dembele is reportedly worth £135.5 million plus add-ons to be paid from the £198 million Neymar payout.

The 27-year old Yarmolenko agreed a four year deal with Dortmund. He has won the Ukraine Premier League thrice with Kiev, scoring 137 goals in 339 games. He has also featured for the national team where he netted 29 times in 69 fixtures.

“Andriy is a player we have been pursuing for a long time,” the club said.

There are concerns that the aging player might not be able to fill Dembele’s boots though. The club has been selling its best players for years so once Barcelona were serious about buying the youngster, it was only a matter of time. Continue reading DORTMUND SIGN YARMOLENKO AFTER DEMBELE EXITS

BETWEEN WATZKE AND TUCHEL, DORTMUND LOST

In failing to sustain his magic during his time at Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp left the Westfalenstadion with a fan base girded with the fear of how the hell they were going to not fall into the very oblivion every bundesliga team that challenged Bayern Munich for the past decade fell.


Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Schalke have all suffered meltdowns the very moment they worked to disrupt the Bavarians’ dominance.

In signing homeboy Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, the Munich giants played the same card they used in rendering former close competitors powerless. However, Dortmund still managed to save enough fire to trouble the Allianz campers for every major trophy available in German football.

Despite ripping out their core together with other European giants – Manchester United poached Shinji Kagawa while Nurin Sahin left for Real Madrid – Die Borussen somehow managed to thrive on or at least not fall into oblivion as feared.

It turned out that Klopp’s greatest gift to the club may not even be the league title he helped them secure in 2012. His most important achievement was giving them an identity. Continue reading BETWEEN WATZKE AND TUCHEL, DORTMUND LOST

BORUSSIA DORTMUND ATTACK OUT OF GREED

German side Borussia Dortmund had their team bus attacked as they set out to play Monaco in the Champions League.


A player Marc Bartra and a policeman picked up injuries in the triple-blast incident. Initially, there were fears that it was a terror attack as early investigations saw notes that had a link to Islamic extremists. Eventually, there were not authentic.

New developments show that the attack could have been a fruit of greed. Federal prosecutors have arrested a German-Russia suspect Sergej W. who took out a big loan to bet against the shares of the club. German officials claim he bombed the bus and tried linking it with extremists just to make profit.

He was prosecuted in Baden-Wurttemberg near Tuebingen in South-West Germany. As at the time of filing this report, Police claim he acted alone as they have not seen any contrary evidence.

“We are working on the assumption that the suspect is responsible for the attack against the team bus of Borussia Dortmund,” a spokesperson Frauke Koehler said at a news conference after the arrest on Friday. Continue reading BORUSSIA DORTMUND ATTACK OUT OF GREED

FIFA RELEASES DIRECTOR OF WOMEN FOOTBALL

World football apex body FIFA has announced the releasing of the Director of Women Football Tatjana Haenni. She held the post for 18 years but the organization decided to “restructure” things.


“In November last year, Sarai Bareman was appointed Chief Football Officer. She heads the newly created Women’s Football Division and reports directly to FIFA Deputy Secretary-General Zvonimir Boban and to FIFA management.

“The new department is currently being restructured and organized (also personnel). This is directly linked to the overall strategy for the development of women’s football,” a statement credited to officials of FIFA reads.

Haenni held the role whilst doubling as the president of a club in Switzerland FC Zurich. She confirmed “FIFA dismissed” her at the end of January but adds that the eighteen years were “interesting, motivating and fascinating.” Continue reading FIFA RELEASES DIRECTOR OF WOMEN FOOTBALL

TUCHEL DENIES BUST-UP WITH GOTZE

Thomas Tuchel Dortmund’s manager has refuted claims of a training bust-up with striker Mario Gotze.


Reports in German media suggested a bust-up ensued between Tuchel and Gotze because of the player’s insipid performance during a passing drill.

Gotze, who returned to Borussia Dortmund after a disappointing stint with archrival Bayern Munich, has so far not scored a single Bundesliga goal since returning to the club. His poor performance this season has continued to fuel news of a fall-out with Tuchel who is unhappy with his performance.

Tuchel has however rubbished reports of a bust-up with Gotze, stating that he and his players only had a miss understanding. The coach speaking on the alleged bust up said:

“I was informed on Wednesday that I had a problem with Mario, which is simply not true. I said loudly after a [passing exercise], where ten players were involved, that I was not satisfied.”

The manager insisted that his outburst was based on the overall performance of all players during the drill and not with Gotze as reported. Continue reading TUCHEL DENIES BUST-UP WITH GOTZE

Bayern’s rise to top German football

Looking at Bayern Munich’s rise to top German football, it is clear that it is the ultimate revenge mission for the club.


According to Uli Hesse’s book, “Bayern: Creating a Global Superclub,” they were not allowed into top flight football in Germany when it was set-up in 1963. After breaking through, the club has won the championship an impressive 25 out of 48 times.

The league started as a serious competition for Bayern and others, but the Bavarians have left the other teams wide apart as the years go by. The opposition have been changing from Bremen to Koln to Schalke to Monchengladbach to Hamburg SV and others. Bayer Levekusen deserve a mention as well for their effort but, like others, fell flat to the supremacy of Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund stand as the only real opposition that can stop a fifth consecutive Bundesliga win this term under Coach Carlo Ancelotti. Dortmund are a side that have proved that efficient management of resources can bring success. They are truly the second place side in Germany local football, leaving Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen struggling for third place. Both sides look like the only teams that can break the ‘duopoly’ in Germany.
Continue reading Bayern’s rise to top German football

SCHWEINSTEIGER AND PODOLSKI TO PLAY FAREWELL GAME

German football will be wishing its two star players Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski farewell from the international scene in a football game in their honour, according to the apex football body in Germany – the DFB.


Both players retired recently from international football, Schweinsteiger in July and Podolski this week. Schweinsteiger played for 12 years for Die Mannschaft, winning the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil and captaining the side to the Euro 2016 in France. The German national team coach Joachim Low said: “Bastian and Lukas have huge merits for the national team, the DFB, and Germany’s football in general. I know it means a lot to them to play one more time for Germany. This proves how much the team meant and still means to them.”

On the other hand, Podolski has 9 more games than Schweinsteiger to his belt with his 129 caps record that is the third highest in German football history. He made the announcement on Monday, adding that he wants to focus on other things in his life. Podolski scored 49 goals in his 12 year campaign for Germany, announcing his retirement via a Facebook post that reads: Continue reading SCHWEINSTEIGER AND PODOLSKI TO PLAY FAREWELL GAME

SCHWEINSTEIGER CONSOLES THE GERMAN FANS

Schweinsteiger took to his profile on Facebook to address the fans regarding the disappointment of the team to lift the trophy in France, despite being the favourites. The failure to do so was


The German football at the tournament was decent and even in the game against the hosts, the former Bayern Munich player says they were just unlucky. Schweinsteiger became the captain in 2014 and has played 120 games for the national team. He conceded the penalty that led to the first goal when he used his hand to block the ball in the 18 yard box. Antoine Greizmann converted the penalty and it became the beginning of the end for the German team.

The Manchester United player in his post didn’t address the reports that he is set to retire from international football, especially since he is 31 already and has been struggling with injuries of recent. In the open letter he posted on the German Football Association’s Facebook page, he wrote: “Dear fans, I have one word: pity. Our dream has not been fulfilled. We haven’t reached the final and there will be no magic night to follow the one in Rio.” Continue reading SCHWEINSTEIGER CONSOLES THE GERMAN FANS

Oliver Bierhoff provides his support to Jerome Boateng

Oliver Bierhoff provides his support to Jerome Boateng after racist remarks from German politician


The general manager of the German national team Oliver Bierhoff has provided his support to Jerome Boateng, who has been the subject of racist remarks from a German politician. Bierhoff has stated that Boateng has not been affected by the comments but insist that these kinds of statements should be condemned.

He said that Jerome Boateng is relaxed about these remarks, and he has not let himself been affected by them. However, Bierhoff believes that these unnecessary comments have hurt Boateng’s family, and this has definitely affected his private life.

The player who is currently with the German national side is preparing himself for the Euros. He will be having a final friendly match on Saturday before heading to France where they will be playing against Ukraine in their first match. Boateng will have preferred to avoid such unnecessary issues before an important tournament as the Euros and Bierhoff was keen to provide his support to his player. Continue reading Oliver Bierhoff provides his support to Jerome Boateng

GERMAN FOOTBALL CLUB PROTEST AGAINST RACISM

German team, Deinster SV used a digital form of ‘black face’ to protest against a racist attack on two Sudanese refugee players, drawing concerns to the issue.

The team posted the digitally-manipulated image its Facebook page’s header graphic, as well on its page’s wall with a message explaining the meaning behind it.


When the interpreted, the post explained that their friend and fellow players were “insulted and beaten” on racial grounds. It was capped off with #DividedWeFall and #UnitedWeStand.

“This is just sad! Violence against refugees is pathetic.

“Emad and Amar — you belong to us … and we are pleased that you are with us!”

The action drew a lot of commendation with many commenters congratulating the club for its “great response” against the “xenophobic attacks.” However, some social media users have pointed out the club had used a form of ‘black face’ as an offensive act in itself. The defiant response to an alleged racist attack on two of its players.

They wrote a message detailing the alleged attack alongside the post, outlining their support for the players who are Sudanese refugees. Emad was allegedly pushed to the ground and beaten as the men were subjected to verbal and physical abuse. The head coach, Soenke Kreibich, told the Jetzt website the reason behind the action. Continue reading GERMAN FOOTBALL CLUB PROTEST AGAINST RACISM