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MUNICH

Mancini vision for Inter decisive for Shaqiri

Xherdan Shaqiri claimed his unhappiness at warming the substitutes' bench at Bayern Munich, and Roberto Mancini's vision for Inter Milan, prompted his decision to join the Italian giants.

Published: 15 January 2015 13:05 CET
Mancini vision for Inter decisive for Shaqiri
Xherdan Shaqiri signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Milan last week. Photo: Global Panorama

Swiss international Shaqiri signed a four-and-a-half-year contract last week, joining former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski at the Nerazzurri as they bid to end a three-year absence from the Champions League.

Despite scoring three goals at last summer's World Cup, Shaqiri continued to find his path to a regular starting place at the Bundesliga giants blocked by the likes of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

The 23-year-old said he had offers from England, where Liverpool were reported to have followed him, and Germany, but made his decision after speaking with Mancini by telephone.

"I received other offers from England and Germany, but I always knew what I wanted to do. I spoke with Mancini on the phone, he explained his plans to me and I didn't look back from there," Shaqiri told reporters at his official unveiling on Wednesday.

"It was always a clear choice for me – I want to help the club so that we can achieve big things once again."

Born in the former Yugoslavia to Albanian parents, Shaqiri has forged a reputation as being one of the fastest and most skilful wingers in the game.

The skills of the 'Alpine Messi' were ultimately left untapped at Bayern, but Shaqiri is determined to put them to good use at Inter.

"I wasn't completely happy at Bayern. I need to play because that's the only way I can show what I'm worth," he said.

"I learnt lots of things and played with a lot of great players. I'll try to use my experience from Munich to help Inter win silverware. I'm hungry for success and I'll do whatever it takes to win something for this club.".

Shaqiri could make his debut away to Empoli this weekend as Inter look to claim a second consecutive win for the first time since Mancini took over in November.

Last week's 3-1 win over Genoa left Inter ninth, 18 points behind leaders Juventus and six adrift of Lazio, who occupy the third and final Champions League qualifying spot.

Mancini has been tasked with securing a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League, which Inter last won in 2010 when Jose Mourinho led the Nerazzurri to an historic treble.

But with seven teams within seven points of Lazio, the second half of the season will be tense for the likes of Napoli, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Genoa and both Milan clubs.

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MUNICH

Four injured as WWII bomb explodes near Munich train station

Four people were injured, one of them seriously, when a World War II bomb exploded at a building site near Munich's main train station on Wednesday, emergency services said.

Published: 1 December 2021 16:41 CET
Smoke rises after the WWII bomb exploded on a building site in Munich.
Smoke rises after the WWII bomb exploded on a building site in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Privat

Construction workers had been drilling into the ground when the bomb exploded, a spokesman for the fire department said in a statement.

The blast was heard several kilometres away and scattered debris hundreds of metres, according to local media reports.

Images showed a plume of smoke rising directly next to the train tracks.

Bavaria interior minister Joachim Herrmann told Bild that the whole area was being searched.

Deutsche Bahn suspended its services on the affected lines in the afternoon.

Although trains started up again from 3pm, the rail operator said there would still be delays and cancellations to long-distance and local travel in the Munich area until evening. 

According to the fire service, the explosion happened near a bridge that must be passed by all trains travelling to or from the station.

The exact cause of the explosion is unclear, police said. So far, there are no indications of a criminal act.

WWII bombs are common in Germany

Some 75 years after the war, Germany remains littered with unexploded ordnance, often uncovered during construction work.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about WWII bomb disposals in Germany

However, most bombs are defused by experts before they explode.

Last year, seven World War II bombs were found on the future location of Tesla’s first European factory, just outside Berlin.

Sizeable bombs were also defused in Cologne and Dortmund last year.

In 2017, the discovery of a 1.4-tonne bomb in Frankfurt prompted the evacuation of 65,000 people — the largest such operation since the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

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