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Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed he rejected advances from the Premier League to remain at Signal Iduna Park.
The 46-year-old was strongly linked to the vacant posts at Chelsea and Manchester City in the close-season, but remained with Dortmund as Jose Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini filled the respective roles.
Despite the chance to sign a lucrative deal in the English top flight, Klopp is content with his choice, having led Dortmund to second in the Bundesliga after nine rounds of action.
"There were some English clubs that called and wanted to speak with me," Klopp told The Sun. "But there was no reason to talk.
"It's only hard to understand if you always think, 'I can go to a bigger club'.
"I'm sure you could earn much more money at one or the other English clubs or at a Chinese or Russian club, but it's not the most important thing.
"If somebody told me two years ago, 'Some time they will you call you', I would have said, 'Impossible'. And then they called and it was nothing.
"In life you have to be at the right place at the right moment. And I am at the right place at the right moment."
Klopp has seen several players leave for brighter lights, with Shinji Kagawa departing for Manchester United, and Mario Gotze joining Bayern Munich, while star striker Robert Lewandowski is widely expected to join the Bavarian giants next season.
But the former Mainz boss understands the ambitions of his playing squad, and hailed their transformation into routine title contenders.
"Players try to fulfil their dreams," he added. "I couldn't have dreams when I was their age. My dream was not to fall down on the pitch.
"I am 46 and have been coaching at this level for four years. I didn't start out thinking this team could be champions.
"I didn't think, 'Oh, when we are champions where can I go?' If you think about other clubs, you also have to think about what you have here. And it could not be much better anywhere else.
"It's not possible. Because at this moment, in this stadium, with this managing director (Hans-Joachim Watzke) and this technical director (Michael Zorc), everything fits."
The German believes the Spaniard has some explaining to do after denying Arjen Robben the chance to take a penalty in favour of Thomas Muller
Stefan Effenberg has hit out at Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola following his decision to deny Arjen Robben the opportunity to take a penalty in Saturday's 4-1 win over Mainz and hand the ball to Thomas Muller instead.
The Dutchman was ready to step up for his second goal of the afternoon after a foul on Bastian Schweinsteiger, only for Guardiola to get involved on the sidelines and tell Muller to take the spot kick, and the former Germany international feels the Spanish coach has some explaining to do.
"You don't want to go through something like this in front of 80,000 people," Effenberg told Sky.
"You have the ball in your hands and are ready to take a spot kick, full of confidence, and then your coach steps up like a schoolteacher telling you to give it to Muller.
"That's very bitter for any player and a bad situation to be in.
"You have to explain these kinds of decisions as a coach. You're obliged to do that. You cannot just say: 'I'm the coach and I make the decisions.'"
Muller converted the spot kick to make it 4-1 and effectively put the match to bed.
"I am pleased to be able to work here," said new 1. FC Nürnberg coach Gertjan Verbeek, with the 51-year-old back in work just weeks after leaving AZ Alkmaar.
Gertjan Verbeek has been unveiled as the new coach of 1. FC Nürnberg, with the 51-year-old Dutchman signing a contract until June 2015 following the departure of Michael Wiesinger.
"Immediately after the first contact we had ten days ago, I fell in love with Nürnberg," Verbeek explained. "It's a club which has a tradition for working with young players, and that struck a chord with me. I had a look around the stadium and the training facilities yesterday and I was delighted. I am pleased to be able to work here."
Verbeek made over 250 appearances for sc Heerenveen as a player, before coaching Heracles Almelo, Heerenveen and Feyenoord. He won last season's Dutch Cup at AZ Alkmaar, but was dismissed in September following a poor start to the season. Nürnberg are third from bottom in the Bundesliga, and have yet to win in nine league games this season.
Robben still 'mad' at Pep over penalty call, claims Ribery
By Miles Chambers156
Oct 24, 2013 12:23:00 AM
The Dutchman refused to take a spot kick for Bayern in their 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen, which left the head coach confused and a Roten legend fuming
Arjen Robben is still seething from not being permitted by Pep Guardiola to take a penalty at the weekend, Franck Ribery has claimed on the back of Bayern Munich's 5-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen.
The Roten coach stopped the Dutch winger from taking a spot kick in favour of Thomas Muller in Saturday's 4-1 Mainz triumph, but on Wednesday was shouting from the sidelines for the 29-year-old to take a penalty.
However, Robben shook his head and finger, refusing the ex-Barcelona boss, allowing Ribery to step up and score it - his first of two strikes at the Allianz Arena against the Czechs.
Ribery revealed to Sky: "The players wanted him to shoot, but he is still a little mad because of Saturday."
Guardiola, who has increased Bayern's win streak in Europe to eight games since taking over from the reigning Champions League winners in the summer, expressed his confusion at Robben's choice against Plzen but defended his previous decision to back Muller.
"Yes, Robben wanted to take it," he said. "Why he did not take it, I don't know.
"I like players who want to take penalties. Arjen has a big personality. But the team know why Muller was the one who took it on Saturday."
Bayern goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn criticised the on-field drama with the scores still at 0-0 and suggested that players should not be arguing over who takes the penalty in a competitive match at Bayern's high level.
"This is unnecessary theatre," he told ZDF. "Psychologically, it's not very smart. The coach should clear this up beforehand."
Robben himself declined to discuss his decision on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena, instead focusing on his fellow Bavarians rallying around him.
"I don't want to talk about it," the ex-Chelsea winger said to Sky. "The case is closed and every word about it is a word too much. The most important thing for me is the support of my team-mates."
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes the German is back in his rightful place and described it as "incredibly fun" to have the 21-year-old on their books
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes Mario Gotze is beginning to thrive at the club this season, claiming the Bavarian native was only ever "loaned" to rivals Borussia Dortmund.
The Bavaria-born attacking midfielder was a product of the Dortmund youth academy but moved to the Allianz Arena this summer for €37 million.
Despite initially struggling for form and fitness, Gotze has shown flashes of his best form in wins over Mainz and Viktoria Plzen in the past week, and Rummenigge believes the 21-year-old is starting to find his feet again now he is back on home soil.
"Mario is a native of Memmingen. He was only briefly 'loaned' to BVB," he told reporters jokingly following Bayern's 5-0 Champions League win on Wednesday, during which Gotze scored and set up Bastian Schweinsteiger's goal.
"We are having incredible fun with him, because he has excellent qualities which go well with Bayern Munich."
Bayern take on Hertha Berlin on Saturday in their next Bundesliga clash.
The Bavarians will have to make do without the veteran forward for over a month after he suffered a thigh muscle injury
Bayern Munich have been dealt a fresh injury blow with the news that Claudio Pizarro will miss up to six weeks of action with a muscle problem.
The veteran striker, who has been used sparingly this season, joins the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Holger Badstuber on the slidelines and is set to miss the showdown with Borussia Dortmund next month.
That leaves Pep Guardiola with only one orthodox striker at his disposal, Mario Mandzukic, though the Spaniard has deployed Thomas Muller up front.
However, summer signing Thiago Alcantara, who has been missing since the opening weeks of the season, has returned to training following an ankle injury.
Bayern Munich, who overcame Viktoria Plzen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, entertain Hertha Berlin this weekend.
Pizarro, 35, who is currently enjoying his second spell with the Bavarian club, has scored three goals in his six appearances this term.
Schalke will look to inflict a third consecutive Ruhr derby defeat on Borussia Dortmund when they host their local rivals on Saturday.
Jens Keller's men welcome Dortmund to the Veltins Arena knowing victory could see them move into the top four as they look to recover from a difficult start to the campaign.
And the hosts should take confidence from their performances last season, when they took maximum points from both their encounters with Jurgen Klopp's charges.
However, Schalke were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, and go into the game with a number of injury concerns.
Attacking midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng (knee) is a doubt, while striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and midfielder Marco Hoger (both knee) are unavailable, along with winger Jefferson Farfan (groin).
Midfielder Anthony Annan and forward Chinedu Obasi, who are lacking match fitness, are also on the sidelines.
Dortmund are in superb form going into the contest, having lost just two of their last 14 games in all competitions.
Klopp is eager to atone for last year's defeats to Schalke, which he said hurt more than losing out to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League.
"When you sign a contract at Borussia Dortmund, the first thing you learn is that there are 32 Bundesliga games and two derbies," he said.
"The results last year hurt me the most. If we had played better, the results would have been better. Those defeats are the dark clouds over our last campaign, which, even without a title, was still pretty good otherwise."
Dortmund - who beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League in midweek - will be boosted by the potential return of midfielder Sebastian Kehl, who is close to a return from a foot injury, but attacking midfielder Ilkay Gundogan (back) and defender Lukas Piszczek (hip) are still out.
Bundesliga Preview: Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin
25 October 2013
Bayern Munich will be hopeful of extending their 34-match unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga when they host Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
The European champions last lost a league fixture in October 2012, to Bayer Leverkusen, and are now just two matches away from equalling the longest unbeaten streak in the history of German top-flight football.
That record – set by Hamburg in 1974 – was challenged by Borussia Dortmund last year, but they saw their streak ended at 31 games.
Bayern have the chance to edge closer at the Allianz Arena on Saturday in an encounter that pits the table-toppers against a Hertha side who have defied the odds to sit fourth after nine matches.
Pep Guardiola's Bayern strolled past Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday, thrashing the Czech side 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League to extend their 100 per cent record in the competition this season.
Franck Ribery scored twice, while David Alaba, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze also netted in a comprehensive win for the European champions.
Bayern, who have scored 25 goals in their last eight matches in all competitions, interestingly have just one player in the top 20 of the league's scoring charts.
Their even spread of goals means only one player has scored more than three times in the Bundesliga this season, that being Croatian Mario Mandzukic with five.
With so many avenues to goal, opposition defences have struggled to contain Bayern, but manager Guardiola is not getting complacent.
He saw warning signs in Saturday's 4-1 home win over Mainz – in which Bayern trailed 1-0 at half-time – and has urged his side to start better when they are the hosts.
"I'm pleased with the result, (but) we've always had problems in the first half here at the Allianz Arena," Guardiola said after that win.
"We need to improve on that very soon and I'm certain we will."
Bayern striker Claudio Pizarro tore his thigh in training on Thursday and will miss at least a month, joining Xherdan Shaqiri (thigh) and Holger Badstuber (knee) on the sidelines.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara returned to training on Thursday but is not expected to return soon as he recovers from an ankle injury.
For Hertha, the chance to play on one of the biggest stages in European football is a great reward for last season's second-tier champions.
Hertha won the division by nine points last season, inspired by the form of Brazilian midfielder Ronny, who scored 18 goals.
He already has three this season, while Tunisia forward Sami Allagui has netted five, with their goals helping Jos Luhukay's side surge into a Champions League qualifying place.
All of the club's four wins in the Bundesliga have come in the German capital, with their away record showing three draws and one defeat.
Schalke's Ruhr derby with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday is undoubtedly the highlight of the Bundesliga's 10th round of games. League leader Bayern Munich hosts Hertha Berlin, which seems as surprised as anyone to be fourth, and relegation-threatened Nuremberg makes a fresh start at Stuttgart. Here are five things to know ahead of the weekend:
SCHALKE UNDER PRESSURE
Schalke won both Ruhr derbies last season, giving visiting Dortmund added incentive to set the record straight.
"To lose two derbies in a row is anything but nice. We'd like to win one again and really knock one out on Saturday," said Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender.
The visitors have been given a boost by their smash-and-grab 2-1 win at Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Schalke lost 3-0 to Chelsea for the ignominy of the club's biggest home defeat in the competition. A second defeat in succession to the club's biggest rival would see Schalke coach Jens Keller coming under increasing pressure.
Schalke midfielder Marco Hoeger has been ruled out for the rest of the season with cruciate ligament damage and striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is out until the winter break. In contrast, Dortmund's injury concerns seem to be receding after the club's best start to a Bundesliga season. Juergen Klopp's side is already eight points clear of Schalke. An 11-point gap after 10 games would be hard to stomach for the Schalke supporters.
NUREMBERG'S NEW START
Gertjan Verbeek makes his debut as Nuremberg coach in Stuttgart on Friday. The Dutchman has already enamored himself by declaring he "fell in love with the club" at his presentation on Tuesday. The 51-year-old Verbeek, who previously enjoyed success with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar before falling out with the players, has been appointed to steer Nuremberg out of the relegation zone following the sacking of Michael Wiesinger.
"Of course I have my own ideas. But it always depends on the quality of the players," Verbeek said.
Eight of Nuremberg's nine German championships came before the Bundesliga was formed in 1963.
BAYERN EYEING RECORD
Defending champion Bayern, which enjoyed an easy 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Wednesday, is closing in on Hamburger SV's record 36-match run without defeat set in 1983. Bayern is unbeaten in 34 successive league games and won't be expected to slip up at home to Hertha, despite the promoted side's fine start. Franck Ribery did not play last week due to an ankle injury but produced a man of the match performance against Plzen and the Frenchman can set a new Bundesliga record of playing in 39 straight games without defeat if he features on Saturday. Ribery currently shares the record with Hamburg's Holger Hieronymus.
SPECTER OF 'GHOST GOAL' HANGING OVER LEVERKUSEN
Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling was relieved to score two goals without controversy in his side's 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, following the furor over his "ghost goal" through a hole in the side-netting against Hoffenheim last Friday.
"Of course we looked very closely to see if it was in," Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller said, referring to the first goal.
Bild captured the sense of relief around the BayArena stadium: "Kiessling also scores without a hole! And even two goals."
Kiessling thanked fans afterward for their support on his Facebook page. "I'm lost for words. It was so good what you did for me," the striker wrote.
Hoffenheim will learn Monday if its appeal for a replay is successful. Meanwhile the club has donated the infamous net for auction with the proceeds going to a children's charity.
With 10 goals in 14 games across all competitions, Kiessling will hope to continue his goal-scoring exploits - legitimately - against Augsburg on Saturday.
FREIBURG GATHERING NUTS
"The squirrel toils for nourishment," said Freiburg coach Christian Streich last weekend after the third draw from four Bundesliga games left his side waiting for its first win of the season. Freiburg, second from bottom, is paying the price for its remarkable success last season, when the modest club finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League. After losing a host of important players in the offseason, Freiburg is finding it difficult to incorporate new players and cope with the strain of two competitions.
Freiburg was playing Estoril Praia in the Europa League on Thursday, when a win would give Streich's side confidence for the games ahead. Freiburg had never started without a win in nine Bundesliga games. Saturday's visitors from Hamburg appear to have overcome their poor start with 10 goals in three games since Bert van Marwijk took over as coach.
Bundesliga wrap: Bayern close in on record, Dortmund win
27 October 2013
The Bundesliga's top three, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen all kept the pace by winning on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's side remain a point ahead of Dortmund and Leverkusen after stretching their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 35 games with a 3-2 victory over Hertha Berlin.
But they had to come from behind to secure all three points once again after Adrian Ramos gave the fourth-placed visitors an early lead.
Mario Mandzukic then scored two headers after coming on as a substitute in the first half in place of the injured Arjen Robben and Mario Gotze nodded in a third after he also came on during the first half when Toni Kroos picked up an injury.
Hertha caused the European champions plenty of problems and Anis Ben Hatira pulled a goal back with just over half an hour remaining, but Bayern held on for the victory.
If the Bavarian giants avoid defeat at Hoffenheim next weekend they will equal Hamburg's 30-year record of 36 games unbeaten in the German top flight.
Dortmund and Leverkusen are hot on the heels of Bayern after they also secured victories on Saturday.
In a game delayed slightly after a crowd disturbance, Dortmund beat Schalke 3-1 at the Vetins Arena to exact revenge for two defeats against their fierce rivals last season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nuri Sahin gave Dortmund a 2-0 lead, with Kevin-Prince Boateng having missed a chance to equalise when his penalty was saved by Roman Weidenfeller.
Teenager Max Meyer gave Schalke hope when he pulled a goal back, but Jakub Blaszczykowsk sealed the points for Jurgen Klopp's side with a third goal 16 minutes from time.
Leverkusen remain level on points with Dortmund after coming from behind to beat FC Augsburg.
Andre Hahn gave the visitors a surprise lead, but Simon Rolfes pegged them back with an equaliser 11 minutes before half-time and midfielder Emre Can popped up with a winner with seven minutes remaining.
Wolfsburg moved up to fifth by beating Werder Bremen 3-0 in a derby at the Volkswagen Arena courtesy of goals from Maximilian Arnold, Ivica Olic and Ivan Perisic.
Eintracht Braunschweig remain rooted to the foot of the table after a double from Shinji Okazaki secured a 2-0 victory for Mainz.
Hoffenheim moved into the top half of the table and leapfrogged nine-man Hannover by beating them 4-1 in their own backyard, with Roberto Firmino scoring twice in the space of two second-half minutes.
Striker Mame Biram Diouf was sent off for two bookable offences after just 12 minutes and Marcelo was also dismissed after remonstrating with the referee in the 64th minute on a miserable afternoon for Hannover.
Bundesliga Wrap: Hamburg pull away from trouble, Frankfurt thumped
28 October 2013
Freiburg captain Oliver Baumann endured a nightmare afternoon as his side went down 3-0 at home to fellow strugglers Hamburg.
The goalkeeper was arguably at fault for all three of Hamburg's goals as Freiburg slipped deeper into the relegation mire.
Baumann's difficulties began on 37 minutes when a moment of madness saw him race off his line and misjudge a long ball from the back of the Hamburg defence, allowing Maximilian Beister to slot into an empty net.
Things got worse for Baumann two minutes into the second half as he attempted to bring the ball back into his own area but saw Pierre-Michel Lasogga nip in and double Hamburg's advantage
A miserable performance was completed when Baumann spilled a Beister shot into the path of Rafael van der Vaart, who applied a cool finish to find the net.
Hamburg were therefore able to celebrate only their second win of the season, while Freiburg continue to seek a first victory.
In the day's other game, Eintracht Frankfurt's five-match unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt end as a rampant Borussia Monchengladbach ran out 4-1 winners at Borussia Park.
Early goals for Juan Arango and Oscar Wendt sandwiched Stefan Aigner's equaliser for Frankfurt.
Things got better for Lucien Favre's side in the second half, when a dominant performance culminated in goals from Patrick Herrmann and Raffael.
Borussia's win was their fifth in succession on home soil and lifted them up to fourth in the table.
Eight arrests following Ruhr derby
27 October 2013
German police have confirmed eight arrests were made following Saturday's Ruhr derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund.
The match at the Veltins Arena – which finished 3-2 to Dortmund - was delayed as sections of the visiting support appeared to launch flares onto the pitch and at Schalke fans.
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp admitted he was "ashamed" of the incidents, and police also revealed trouble continued after the match as supporters caused damage to property as well as destruction and vandalism in the away section of the stadium.
Police confirmed that they had made eight arrests after the match with three taken into custody, and were quick to insist clubs need to do more to ensure flares are not taken into grounds.
"From the figures alone, it sounds like a normal derby, but the horrifying images we all have in mind," a police spokesperson told Bild. "These are not fans, but criminals.
"They wanted to cause harm to life and limbs of innocent bystanders.
"We will evaluate the footage. But it will cause us some problems, because the perpetrators were heavily disguised.
"The controls are the responsibility of the stewards, not the police."
Dortmund's victory saw them maintain their good start to the Bundesliga season and stay within a point of leaders Bayern Munich.
(Reuters) - Hamburg SV cruised to a 3-0 victory at Freiburg on Sunday to continue their climb up the Bundesliga table under Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk.
In the other Sunday game Borussia Moenchengladbach bounced back from last week's defeat to Hertha Berlin and crushed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 to move fourth with their fifth win in five home games this season.
Visitors Hamburg, who have now drawn two and won two matches to move up to 12th under the former Netherlands coach, got a lot of help from Freiburg keeper Oliver Baumann, who fumbled for all three Hamburg goals.
Baumann twice misjudged his rush out of goal to allow Maximilian Beister and Pierre Michel Lasogga, who also hit the post, to score either side of the break.
Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart added another with his sixth goal of the campaign, after Baumann failed to clear a seemingly easy shot, to lift Hamburg further away from the relegation zone on 12 points.
Europa League competitors Freiburg, who are still looking for their first win of the season, are in 17th place.
Juan Arango put Gladbach ahead with a free kick in the 11th minute, but Frankfurt hit back four minutes later through Stefan Aigner on a rain-soaked pitch.
Their hopes of a first win in five league games were short-lived, however, when Oscar Wendt put the hosts back in front on 18 minutes.
With Gladbach's passing game in full flow, they struck twice in six minutes in the second half through Patrick Herrmann and Raffael to kill off the game.
Gladbach moved into fourth place on 16 points, one ahead of Hertha Berlin.
Bayern Munich edged past Hertha 3-2 on Saturday to stretch their unbeaten league run to 35 games and stay a point clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, 3-1 winners in their Ruhr valley derby against Schalke 04.
Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen are level with Dortmund on 25 points following a narrow 2-1 victory against Augsburg.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Toby Davis)
'Phantom goal' game will not be replayed, says German court
• Bayer Leverkusen win over Hoffenheim to stand after all
• Stefan Kiessling's 'goal' had gone in … through side-netting
Reuters
The Guardian, Monday 28 October 2013 12.36 GMT
Bayen Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling, left, celebrates his goal against Hoffenheim … in rather unusual fashion. Photograph: Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images
Bayer Leverkusen's 2-1 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim last weekend, helped by a "phantom goal", will not be replayed despite the ball going in through a hole in the netting, Germany's sports court said on Monday.
The Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling's 70th-minute header flew just wide of the post and hit the side-netting but went through a hole and ended up in the goal.
The referee Felix Brych awarded a goal after consulting his assistant, putting Leverkusen 2-0 ahead at the time.
Hoffenheim appealed against the result and the incident reignited the debate over the possible use of goalline technology in Germany.
No Bayer-Hoffenheim replay after Kiessling's ghost goal
By Chris Kvesa37
Oct 28, 2013 4:10:00 PM
The DFB has rejected Hoffenheim's appeal against the striker's phantom goal despite admitting that the decision to award it may have been incorrect
The DFB has decided there will be no rematch between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim despite the "ghost goal" scored by striker Stefan Kiessling.
During the match, which ended 2-1 in die Werkself's favour, the attacker hit the side of the net via a header, but the ball went in through a hole, with referee Dr. Felix Brych deciding to award the goal to Leverkusen.
A sports court assembled by the German football governing body decided on Monday that the match will not be repeated after Hoffenheim appealed against the decision by the official.
"The question isn't whether this judgement satisfies us from a sporting perspective," judge Hans E. Lorenz explained.
"From a legal point of view, there is no alternative. There are no grounds for the appeal.
"The factual decision may have been incorrect, but it is irrevocable."
The incident once again raised discussion about when the Bundesliga will introduce goal-line technology, but the head of the German football league, Andreas Rettig, suggested that will not happen before the 2015-16 season.
"At the moment, according to our assessments, there is no perfectly sophisticated system," he told Bild. "Fifa currently still accepts a fault tolerance of three centimetres.
"The technology will be introduced on July 1, 2015 at the earliest."
Heynckes, Mourinho & Ferguson on World Coach of the Year shortlist
Oct 29, 2013 8:42:00 AM
The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United bosses retired halfway through the year, but are still in the running to be rewarded for a fine farewell season
Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jupp Heynckes are among the 10 remaining candidates to win the Fifa World Coach of the Year award.
Heynckes guided Bayern Munich to a historic treble in 2012-13, only to step down at the end of the season to make way for Pep Guardiola.
Ferguson, meanwhile, won the Premier League title with Manchester United last term before retiring from professional football.
Mourinho has made the list despite a trophyless year with Real Madrid, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Spain coach Vicente del Bosque are other noteworthy inclusions in the 10-man list.
The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as international media representatives selected by France Football.
In early December 2013, Fifa and France Football will announce the names of the three men who have received the most votes, without revealing the winner.
The winners of the award will be revealed at the Fifa Ballon d’Or gala as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on 13 January 2014.
Last year's podium consisted of Del Bosque, Mourinho and Guardiola.
The Bavarians have revealed that both players are easing their way back after suffering minor injuries during Saturday's victory
Bayern Munich's Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben have both resumed individual training after picking up knocks in the 3-2 win against Hertha Berlin.
Pep Guardiola's men narrowly edged out the capital outfit 3-2 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with both the midfielder and the winger suffering minor injuries.
However, it appears the pair will soon be able to train with the team again, after being put on individual regimes already.
"While the team trained in front of 1500 fans on Monday morning, Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben made their rounds with fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer," read a statement on the club's official website.
"Both players, who had been substituted after suffering problems with their adductors last Saturday in the match against Hertha, completed casual running laps around the training ground."
Bundesliga leaders Bayern are currently preparing for their trip to Hoffenheim on November 2.
Hoffenheim rule out legal action over phantom goal
30 October 2013
Hoffenheim will not challenge a ruling by the German sports court over the decision not to replay their fixture with Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bundesliga outfit were considering legal action, after their initial appeal to restage their fixture with Sami Hyypia's side was turned down.
Leverkusen won the fixture 2-1 on October 18, after a controversial goal was awarded to Stefan Kiessling, with his header ending in the net via a hole in the side of the goal.
Referee Felix Brych failed to spot the incident, prompting Hoffenheim to request the match be replayed, but their plea was turned down.
Despite reports that they would take the ruling to an appeal, the club have decided to accept the decision, as they feel further action would not be worthwhile.
"After intensively thinking about it, we decided not to elevate the judgement," chairman Peter Rettig told the club's official website.
"This decision does not change the fact, that we consider this judgement by the court a wrong signal for football in general.
"Nevertheless we have decided to accept the judgement, as we do not want to get involved in something that is clearly hopeless."
Director of football Alexander Rosen added: "If we had only seen a slight chance we would have continued the legal process.
"That there is no way in the system we have, is something that was unfortunately made clear in the days preceding the negotiations. What remains is a bad aftertaste."
Kehl: Dortmund denied deserved Ballon d´Or nominations
30 October 2013
Borussia Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl said his side deserved more recognition by the FIFA Ballon d'Or judges.
Of the 23 nominees, Jurgen Klopp's side were represented only by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, while their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich - who won the treble of silverware last term - had six players on the shortlist.
The 33-year-old Dortmund stalwart said he assumed more of his team-mates would be recognised by the time-honoured award.
"First of all I haven't seen the list yet, for me it's a new situation, I would have expected a few more (from Dortmund) to show up on it," the defensive midfielder said.
"And I wouldn't exactly see it as justified that there's only one player from Borussia Dortmund.
"But in general, it may be that Dortmund are judged as a team, of course we have a lot of great individual players.
"But we are successful as a team at the end of the day and I think that's not subject to any debate."
Dortmund welcome eighth-placed Stuttgart to Signal Iduna Park on Friday night and Kehl said he was looking forward to a heated encounter.
"In recent years the games against Stuttgart were always highlight matches, at home or away, they were always very rapid and intensive, and that is why I'm assuming that it won't be any different in the game on Friday evening," Kehl said.
"They will be highly motivated and try to keep pace in the league, and that's why it will be an interesting game.
"Moritz Leitner will be back, he's fit again I think, I read it today. We look forward to Stuttgart but of course we want to show our best side at home."
Second-placed Dortmund are one point behind league leaders Bayern Munich, through 10 games.
The successful coach has ended all speculation about his future by signing a two-year extension to his previous deal
Borussia Dortmund have announced on their official website that they have reached an agreement with Jurgen Klopp over a new contract until the summer of 2018.
The 46-year-old's previous deal with the Bundesliga giants was due to expire in June 2016 and a number of clubs were supposedly closely monitoring Klopp's situation at BVB.
However, he has now ended all speculation about his future by signing for two additional seasons.
"It's an honour that some big clubs rate my work at Dortmund, but I'm not the type of person who wonders whether the grass is greener elsewhere," Klopp commented on his renewal.
"It's important to be at the right place at the right time and Dortmund is the right place for me.
"I will tell interested teams the same that I would have told them before: 'It's flattering if there's interest, but I have a contract with Dortmund until 2018 and I tend to fulfil contracts, even if that's surprising to some people.
"'So thank you, but no chance.'"
Klopp joined Dortmund from Mainz in the summer of 2008 and has since guided them to two Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal win and the Champions League final.
