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BAYERN MUNICH

Bayern wins, Dortmund loses ahead of CL Final

If Saturday’s play was any barometer of what may happen at the Champions League final this coming Saturday, then Borussia Dortmund should be very nervous indeed.

Bayern wins, Dortmund loses ahead of CL Final
Photo: DPA

The Bundesliga’s number two team, who faces number one Bayern Munich Saturday in an all-German Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London, lost 1:2 in a shock upset at home against Hoffenheim on the final day of Bundesliga play.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, came from two goals down to seal a 4-3 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Dortmund’s loss wasn’t the only bad news for coach Jürgen Klopp’s team. Center-back Mats Hummels injured his ankle and it is unclear if he can play at Wembley.

Hummels picked up the injury in the process of fouling Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland, which led to the first of Sejad Salihovic’s two penalties in the last 13 minutes.

He limped off on 77 minutes, was taken to hospital and Dortmund are waiting to discover the extent of the damage.

“He went over on it, which rarely means there is good news,” said Klopp. “The ankle looks thick, but with a view for the final, there is definitely a chance he can play, according to the team doctor.”

The Bavarians, on the other hand, dug deep for their 29th league victory in 34 matches as Franck Ribery scored twice, then set up Arjen Robben for the winner after Gladbach had scored three goals in the opening 10 minutes.

“The first ten minutes didn’t go as we had imagined,” admitted coach Jupp Heynckes after his 1011th and final Bundesliga game, with Pep Guardiola to take charge of Bayern next month.

“I had the feeling the team were still at last Saturday’s party to celebrate the league title.

“But the team slowly got the game under control and we played like we’re used to in the second half. I realised my team wanted to win for me.”

Having started as a 19-year-old striker at Moenchengladbach in 1963, before coaching the team, Heynckes said he had “closed the circle” of his career with his final game played at ‘Gladbach.

His Bayern team are still bidding for the treble of European, league and cup titles and after the Champions League final take on VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final in Berlin on June 1.

Bayern finished the league season with 25 Bundesliga records, including most wins (29), most points (91), fewest goals conceded (18) and the biggest points lead over the side in second (25).

AFP/The Local/mw

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FOOTBALL

Bayern Munich sack youth coach at centre of racism row

Bayern Munich, who face Lyon in a Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, have fired a coach from their youth academy amid a police investigation into allegations of racism.

Bayern Munich sack youth coach at centre of racism row
Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman wearing a T-shirt that says: 'Red against racism' on June 10th. Photo: DPA.

The coach, who was not named, has had his contract terminated “by mutual agreement”, the German league and cup champions said in a statement late Monday.

The sacking is “the first result of an internal survey currently under way” at the youth training academy, it added.

Bayern Munich boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said last week he was “furious” after hearing of the allegations, first reported by the ARD broadcaster.

The coach is accused of making racist and other discriminatory comments in a series of messages, which he initially denied but later admitted, according to German media.

He had been a youth coach at the club since 2003 and had been in charge of children's and youth teams since 2006, according to the weekly Der Spiegel.

He made discriminatory comments based on skin colour, nationality, religion and sexual orientation, Spiegel reported.

These comments “do not correspond at all with the values that Bayern Munich represents”, Rummenigge said after police in Munich opened an investigation into the allegations.

READ ALSO: Bayern Munich Academy employee investigated over racism allegations

Bayern Munich was founded by German Jews in 1900, but all Jewish managers and players were excluded after Hitler came to power in 1933.

In June, not long after the death in the US of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, the entire team were pictured wearing t-shirts bearing the slogans “Black lives matter” and “Red card to racism”.

The club also launched a major anti-racism campaign in March, following incidents in German stadiums.

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