Bavarian Football Works - Bayern Munich 2014-2015 Winterpause in Doha, QatarManufacturing goals in the German tradition, for domestic consumption and for export.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47275/bavarian-fave.png2015-01-27T07:44:26+01:00http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/rss/stream/72879922015-01-27T07:44:26+01:002015-01-27T07:44:26+01:00Karl-Heinz Rummenigge needs to stop talking about Bayern Munich's Saudi Arabia friendly<blockquote>
<p><p>"We will look in to everything in the future, but I have read from Amnesty International about violations of human rights in 112 countries, including the United States. All I'm saying is Guantanamo and the death penalty."</p></p>
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<div class="source"><p><p>Karl-Heinz Rummenigge <a href="http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/karl-heinz-rummenigge/vergleicht-saudis-mit-den-usa-39506512.bild.html">once again addresses</a> the decision to play in Saudi Arabia.</p></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/27/7919779/karl-heinz-rummenigge-needs-to-stop-talking-about-bayern-munichsPhillip Quinn2015-01-22T00:00:03+01:002015-01-22T00:00:03+01:00FC Bayern criticized for playing in Saudi Arabia
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<img alt="Pep Guardiola, at a press conference before Bayern's friendly against Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7Yn02YLh1pAazPpQ6XCkl3oSn0A=/0x0:3500x2333/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45510138/461666488.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Pep Guardiola, at a press conference before Bayern's friendly against Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal | Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>After taking a quick side trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a test game last Saturday, FC Bayern Munich is now taking heavy criticism from all sides for visiting a country with such a repressive government and poor human rights record.</p> <p>At the conclusion of their 9-day winter training camp in Doha, Qatar, <a href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bayern Munich</a> made a quick (and reportedly lucrative) stop on their way home in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, to play a test game against the top Saudi club, Al-Hilal. The whole escapade lasted less than a day, with Bayern taking an easy 4-1 win, and allegedly pocketing over €2 million, but the repercussions from the world of politics and sports are already in full force.</p>
<h5>Saudi Arabia - a totalitarian regime</h5>
<p>Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab nation in Western Asia by land mass, and sits on the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world, which gives it considerable clout in world affairs. It is an absolute monarchy, and is ruled by King Abdullah and the rest of the royal family (also known as the House of Saud), who control all relevant government positions, under a relatively strict form of Sharia Law.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, this means that there is significant discrimination experienced by women (considered to be lesser people, who can't freely move around the country without a male family member), non-Muslims, homosexuals (capital punishment for being gay), and generally anyone who is seen as a threat to Islam. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized the country's record on human rights, their medieval justice system, and their often barbaric punishments of the accused. The latest case that has made headlines in the Western media is <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raif_Badawi">Raif Badawi</a>, a Saudi blogger who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, plus 1000 lashes (essentially, a whipping of the back, in which the skin gets torn off the body), to be administered in counts of 50 over 20 weeks, for what has been deemed to be subversive activities against the government and Islam.</p>
<h5>Politicians condemn FC Bayern's visit</h5>
<p>Upon FC Bayern's return from the Middle East, the public condemnations started. German politicians were the first to criticize the lack of awareness by the largest football club in Germany, where visiting Saudi Arabia and playing a test game without acknowledging the human rights violations, is seen, at best, as grossly irresponsible and, at worst, as a silent endorsement.</p>
<p>As the Green Party's Özcan Mutlu stated,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There is no honor in having a friendly game in Riyadh when, so to speak, right next to the stadium, the blogger Badawi is flogged 1,000 times and has the skin ripped off his back.</p>
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<p>Badawi's punishment had been carried out the day before, in close vicinity to the stadium that Bayern played. Or, as SPD's Dagmar Freitag said,</p>
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<p>Footballers don’t have to be politicians but they should be aware of human rights conditions and should set an example.</p>
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<h5><span>Theo Zwanziger piles on</span></h5>
<p>Former DFB president and current member of FIFA's executive committee, Theo Zwanziger, was a lot more blunt. He is <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faz.net%2Faktuell%2Fsport%2Ffussball%2Fbundesliga%2Fkritik-an-fc-bayern-fuer-spiel-ohne-frauen-in-riad-13381503.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bavarianfootballworks.com%2F2015%2F1%2F22%2F7866993%2Fbayern-munich-taking-heat-for-saudi-arabia-trip" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">quoted as saying</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have known for a while that, at Bayern, commerce beats ethics and, if in doubt, they will fall on the side of the purse.</p>
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<p>However, the more emotional indictment was made when he referenced FC Bayern's legendary Jewish president, Kurt Landauer, who was prosecuted by the Nazis and who had his whole family murdered in concentration camps, when Zwanziger said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I ask myself, how Kurt Landauer would see his FC Bayern's behavior, avoiding having an opinion on important ethical processes.</p>
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<p>Ouch! Very ouch!</p>
<h5>FC Bayern issues an apology - sort of</h5>
<p>Today, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fcbayern.de/en/news/news/2015/statement-karl-heinz-rummenigge-210115.php">FC Bayern issued a formal statement</a>, apologizing for not addressing the situation while visiting Saudi Arabia, and reiterated its stance on opposing discrimination, violence and racism. Unfortunately, it falls well short of what everyone was probably expecting, and fails to address multiple points, including what the club plans to do about this kind of situation in the future.</p>
<p>There was no word on whether the team will schedule more friendlies in countries with questionable records. This point becomes quite relevant for next summer, when the club plans to visit China (not exactly a bastion of human rights) in their quest to expand new markets for their brand.</p>
<h5>What about Qatar?</h5>
<p>Curiously enough, amid all this criticism about Bayern's Saudi Arabia trip, nobody has even made a mention of holding a winter training camp in Qatar, which, although nowhere near the level of violations of its neighbor to the south, has its own problems with respecting human dignity, with countless reports of systematic abuse and exploitation of foreign workers among the most common complaints.</p>
<h5>What should Bayern do?</h5>
<p>What are your thoughts? What should the club have done? Should the discrimination of women be addressed, especially when you consider that they are not even allowed in the stadium to watch the game? Should FC Bayern be held to a higher standard, due to its status as the premier sports club in the country, and its own history of discrimination under the Nazis for its Jewish ties? Should they follow the lead of other notable Bundesliga clubs, like <a href="https://www.fearthewall.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Borussia Dortmund</a>, who have a club policy of not playing games in countries with a record of discrimination and a refusal to discuss human rights?</p>
<p>Or is all this none of their business, as they are just a football club, and not a political entity?</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/22/7866993/bayern-munich-taking-heat-for-saudi-arabia-tripgrudnik2015-01-18T21:00:02+01:002015-01-18T21:00:02+01:00Highlights of Bayern's 4-1 win over Al-Hilal
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>In their last excursion of the winterpause in the Middle East, Bayern Munich beat Al-Hilal in Riyadh.</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich</a> defeated Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Saturday. It was the second victory for FC Bayern on their "tour" of the Middle East, and the club has now returned to Munich. They'll prepare for a friendly against VfL <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/bochum">Bochum</a> in the next week before visiting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/vfl-wolfsburg">Wolfsburg</a> and the Bundesliga restart on January 30th.</p>
<p>This match featured the <a href="http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/18/7647519/david-alaba-injury-knee-return-to-the-field">return of David Alaba</a> to the field following his November MCL surgery. FC Bayern are one step closer to a fully fit squad.</p>
<h5>Lineup</h5>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Robert Lewandowski</span> <em>(<span>Claudio Pizarro</span> 46th)</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Franck Ribery</span><span> </span><em style="font-size: 12.222222328186px;">(<span>Sinan Kurt</span> 46th)</em><span>- </span><span>Thomas Müller</span><span> </span><em style="font-size: 12px;">(</em><span>Mario Götze</span><em style="font-size: 12px;"> 46th + Michael Eberwein 63rd)</em><span> - </span><span>Arjen Robben</span><span> </span><em style="font-size: 12.222222328186px;">(<span>Gianluca Gaudino</span> 46th)</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Xabi Alonso</span> <em>(<span>Sebastian Rode</span> 46th)</em> - <span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span> <em>(Marco Hingerl 59th)</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Juan Bernat</span><span>- </span><span>Jerome Boateng</span><span> </span><em style="font-size: 12px;">(</em><span>Rafinha </span><em style="font-size: 12px;">20th)</em><span> - </span><span>Dante<em> </em></span><em style="font-size: 12px;"> (<span>David Alaba</span> 57th)</em><span> - </span><span>Mitchell Weiser</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Manuel Neuer</span> <em>(Leopold Zingerle 46th)</em></p>
<h5>Goals</h5>
<p>Dante (9th 0-1), Bastian Schweinsteiger (11th 0-2), Robert Lewandowski (39th 0-3), Pizarro (61st 0-4), Salem Aldawsari (90th 1-4)</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/18/7755569/video-bayern-munich-al-hilal-friendly-highlights-final-score-resultPhillip Quinn2015-01-18T05:00:02+01:002015-01-18T05:00:02+01:00Alaba returns to the field
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Bayern took another big step toward having a fully fit squad.</p> <p><span>David Alaba</span> made his triumphant return to the field during <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich's</a> friendly against Al-Hilal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Even with the 4-1 scoreline in favor of FC Bayern, the Austrian's return was the big news of the day.</p>
<p>Alaba suffered a <a href="http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2014/11/6/7168403/david-alaba-to-undergo-surgery-for-mcl-tear-and-meniscus-injury">partial tear</a> of his MCL back in Bayern's Champions League victory over AS Roma in November, and while we knew that he would <a href="http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2014/12/31/7471197/bayern-munich-injury-updates-alaba-badstuber-lahm-martinez-thiago-starke">return to training</a> during this camp, it wasn't quite as clear if he was going to actually find his way into one of the two games. However, we knew it was only a matter of time.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R5ocFy6bD5k" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>
<p>By most accounts, Alaba did well in his shift. He was brought on for Dante in the 57th minute and finished out the match. The biggest positive to take out of his showing is that he came away injury free. Now, only one friendly remains for the club before the Bundesliga starts back on January 30th.</p>
<p>This news comes days after <span>Holger Badstuber</span> <a href="http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/13/7539773/photo-holger-badstuber-makes-his-return-to-the-pitch-for-bayern-munich">made his return</a> to action for Bayern following his thigh injury. Only Javi Martinez, <span>Philipp Lahm</span> and Thiago remain sidelined with long term injuries.</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/18/7647519/david-alaba-injury-knee-return-to-the-fieldPhillip Quinn2015-01-17T19:23:22+01:002015-01-17T19:23:22+01:00VIDEO: Manuel Neuer goes way past his defense into midfield in friendly<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OjvThp0b7l9/embed/simple" width="600" height="600"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Who needs a defensive midfielder when you have Manuel Neuer doing that job?</p></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/17/7629277/video-manuel-neuer-goes-way-past-his-defense-into-midfield-in-friendlyPhillip Quinn2015-01-17T15:09:40+01:002015-01-17T15:09:40+01:00Pep Guardiola yells "Badstuber, I love you." during passing drill<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iyzayw7jYKk" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>During this fun-to-watch passing drill, Pep Guardiola makes it clear how pleased he is with Holger Badstuber's passing.</p></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/17/7628547/pep-guardiola-yells-badstuber-i-love-you-during-passing-drillPhillip Quinn2015-01-17T09:00:02+01:002015-01-17T09:00:02+01:00Bayern's "B Team" is really good
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Thomas Müller may have turned some people off with his recent comments, but he's not wrong. </p> <p>When speaking with the media recently in Qatar, Thomas Müller said something that has upset many throughout Germany. <span>"We have a very high level in training," Müller </span><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2015/1/15/7553701/thomas-muller-throwing-shade">said</a><span>. "It is often more difficult to win against our training team than perhaps against a team in the Bundesliga."</span></p>
<p>While the comments seem rather dismissive of the other teams in the Bundesliga, that's not was Thomas was doing here. In fact, all Müller was doing was boosting the profile of Bayern's "B Team". And, why not? Have you thought about separating Bayern's squad into an "A Team" and a "B Team"? They're both of ridiculous quality.</p>
<h5>"A Team"</h5>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Robert Lewandowski</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Franck Ribery</span> - <span>Thomas Müller</span> - <span>Arjen Robben</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Xabi Alonso</span> - <span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>David Alaba</span> - <span>Mehdi Benatia</span> - <span>Jerome Boateng</span> - <span>Philipp Lahm</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Manuel Neuer</span></p>
<h5>"B Team"</h5>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Claudio Pizarro</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Gianluca Gaudino</span> -<span>Thiago Alcantara</span> - <span>Mario Götze</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Sebastian Rode</span> - <span>Javi Martinez</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Juan Bernat</span> - <span>Dante </span>- <span>Holger Badstuber</span> - <span>Rafinha</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Pepe Reina</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">How many teams in world football, not just the Bundesliga, can put out a better starting lineup than FC Bayern's "B Team"? Ten teams? Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester City are more than likely better sides than Bayern's "B Team". The only other teams that are potentially better would be Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Arsenal, and Manchester United. Of all the other teams in the entire world, that's it.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">So, yes, Thomas Müller did take a shot at the rest of the Bundesliga, but he was also taking a shot at the rest of the world. The players are confident in this team to go out and perform no matter which players are on the field. They demand greatness and know that it's only achievable playing day in and day out against other extremely talented players.</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/17/7560397/bayern-munich-b-team-is-better-than-your-a-teamPhillip Quinn2015-01-17T00:15:18+01:002015-01-17T00:15:18+01:00Bayern Munich engages in some nice friendly games of cutthroat Football Tennis<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Lc9ejC1yvQA" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Football tennis may be the most glorious sub-game in soccer history. Naturally a team as good and as cool as Bayern Munich would play it.</p></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/1/17/7560245/bayern-munich-engages-in-some-nice-friendly-games-of-cutthroatRyan Cowper