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FOOTBALL

Secrecy surrounds Ballack’s upcoming nuptials

Michael Ballack, German national football team captain and Chelsea midfielder, is to marry his long-time partner and hold a wedding reception next week at a yacht club at Bavaria’s Lake Starnberg. But the club isn’t providing any details.

Secrecy surrounds Ballack’s upcoming nuptials
Photo: DPA

“No comment“ is the answer reporters get to just about any question posed to officials, advisors or Michael Ballack’s office about the football star’s wedding, be it the date, the location or the party afterward. However, residents of the town of Starnberg, at the foot of the German alps, say the fact that Ballack will hold his wedding reception at the exclusive boating club is an open secret.

Some 400 guests are due to attend the reception, expected to take place July 14-15, according to the the Munich newspaper tz.

Ballack and his partner, 30-year-old Simone Lambe, who have known each other for 10 years and have three children, will probably wed in Munich, reported the DPA news agency. They applied for a marriage licence before the European football championships in June.

Media reports have speculated for days about the details. Apparently, the bachelor party will take place Monday evening, and the reception on the following day. However, yacht club manager Ilja Wolf won’t confirm details.

“There are lots of things in the papers,“ he told the DDP news agency, adding that he’d rather see his club written about in the sailing magazines than showing up in the gossip pages, where it has mostly been over the last couple of weeks.

Christian Herrmann, 43, who manages a swimming pool near the yacht club, isn’t that worried about fans and reporters posing as swimmers just so they can get a glimpse of the goings-on next door, since part of the club is visible from his facility.

“Maybe we’ll open everything up for a half hour or so and let people in to take their pictures, he told DDP.

For Starnberg residents, celebrities are old hat, since they’re often seen on the town‘s quaint streets. Ballack, his partner Simone Lambe and their three sons lived in the area before he transfered to Chelsea in 2006.

The restaurant next to the yacht club was frequented by Ballack, described as “a really nice guy“ by one employee. She’s expecting a bit of a commotion early next week, but says she doesn’t mind.

“It’ll bring us more business,“ she told DDP.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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