Daily Schmankerl: James reveals he asked to leave Bayern, FCB II kills 1860’s promotion dream, K-P Boateng appeals “to My White Brothers and Sisters”

James Rodriguez owns up to his unhappiness in Munich (Goal)

In an interview with Caracol TV, James Rodríguez owned up to his unhappiness in Munich and described his role in facilitating his own departure.

“Bayern is a top club,” he said, “but the one who didn’t want to continue was me. Bayern wanted to exercise the purchase option, but I spoke with an official so they wouldn’t do it, because I didn’t feel good and was not happy.”

Could that official have been CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge or perhaps sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic? Whoever it was, he showed nothing but class: “When that happens in your life, you have to make decisions. Bayern completely understood. I don’t regret the decision,” James said.

James said, “I will always be grateful to Bayern and especially Jupp Heynckes, who got incredible performances from me.”

Bayern II kills 1860’s dream of promotion (AZ)

We covered the Munich derby yesterday, so give our observations and awards a read, if you haven’t done so already. AZ gave a nice summary afterward that glimpses at the broader context. Despite being in 7th place, 1860 was still hoping to rally its way toward promotion. That dream is now dead as they have dropped to 9th.

Conclusion: after a gripping Munich duel, FC Bayern II can call itself Derbysieger. The Rekordmeister’s reserves turned the match around against TSV 1860 and won 2-1 in the end thanks to Tillman’s goal. While Bayern climbs back to the top of the table on account of the victory, the subject of promotion my now definitively be dead for the Löwen.

Munich is RED!

Kevin-Prince Boateng appeals to his white brothers and sisters (Players’ Tribune)

In a powerful, moving article in the Players’ Tribune, Kevin-Prince Boateng appealed “To My White Brothers and Sisters” to maintain the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement and ensure that real change happens. Boateng described how the racism he faced as a young man on the pitch affected him:

I became aggressive. Disturbed. I got red cards all the time. I was a hothead.

But you know what the worst part was?

No one ever stood up for me.

Fast forward to 2013, when Boateng decided to walk off the pitch when fans in Milan persisted in making monkey noises every time he or any other black player touched the ball.

As I walked off, a lot of people stood up and applauded me. And then — and this is the key — my teammates walked off with me. Not just the black ones. All of them...

The referee came in and asked us, “Do you want to continue playing?” And at that moment [team captain Massimo] Ambrosini stood up and said, “If Prince doesn’t play, no one plays.”

The walkout caused a sensation across the world. But Boateng drops a hammer of a takeaway from the episode:

None of that happened because a black person walked off the pitch. No.

It happened because white people walked off with him.

That was the message that changed the world.

In the end, Boateng appeals to his fellow players to speak out and get involved, to the media to give racism the publicity it so crucially needs, and white people to get involved and help.

I highly recommend reading the full article. It’s powerful and important.

Nicole Rolser decides to retire from the game

Bayern Frauen midfielder Nicole Rolser announced on Wednesday that she would be hanging up her boots at the end of the season. The 28 year old has been beset by injuries in recent seasons, and it appears as though she’s ready to move onto the next stage of her life.

Following her return to Germany in 2015, Rolser began planning her future. In 2016, she accepted a position in the front office with SpVgg Unterhaching following their promotion into the 3.Liga. She had also applied for jobs with Bayern’s basketball team and 1860 Munich; however, it was Unterhaching who responded first.

We wish her well!

Leeds United removes Osama Bin Laden cut out from Elland Road (BBC)

A fan of Leeds United took advantage of the opportunity that clubs gave supporters to include a cut out of themselves to be present in the stadiums by submitting a picture of Osama Bin Laden in the stands. The image was obviously removed by the stadium staff once they recognized the “supposed” fan.

15-year-old Luka Romero becomes the youngest La Liga player of all time, breaking Sansón’s record from 1939!