Bundesliga

THOMAS TUCHEL is in danger of being sacked after Bayern Munich suffered a THIRD defeat in eight days to leave their title hopes in tatters.Bochum, who sit in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, beat the German champions 3-2 in a game interrupted TWICE by fan protests against selling a future stake in the league to a private equity investor.
Harry Kane missed a great chance as Bayern Munich lost yet againCredit: Rex
Thomas Tuchel is now on the brink of being sackedCredit: Reuters
The referee halted the match in both halves as spectators threw tennis balls onto the pitch – one of many protests in German football across the weekend.
But when play resumed Bayern failed to get the job done as they fall eight points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Jamal Musiala’s opener was cancelled out by two first-half goals from Bochum duo Takuma Asano and Keven Schlotterbeck.
The quick-fire double came after Harry Kane had a sensational chance to put Bayern 2-0 in front, but he blazed his one-on-one over the crossbar.
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Kevin Stoger made it 3-1 from the penalty spot in the 78th minute as Dayot Upamecano was sent off just four days after being dismissed in their 1-0 defeat to Lazio.
Kane pulled one back for Bayern late on, but it proved to be merely a consolation as the champions lost more ground to Leverkusen in their pursuit of a 12th successive Bundesliga title.
And attention will now turn towards the future of ex-Chelsea boss Tuchel, 50.
A 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Leverkusen last weekend was followed up by the 1-0 loss to Lazio on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
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Another defeat to lowly Bochum will pile even more pressure on the German coach.
Tuchel has won 28 of his 44 games in charge of Bayern since taking over from Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
Harry Kane reacts to Bayern Munich’s shock Champions League defeat
They won the title on the final day of last season, leapfrogging Borussia Dortmund in dramatic circumstances.
But they exited the German Cup to third-tier side Saarbrucken back in November.
And now they look set to miss out on the Bundesliga, while they also have ground to make up in the second leg of their Champions League clash with Lazio. More

BAYERN MUNICH’S defeat to Bochum was temporarily suspended TWICE after fans hurled tennis balls on the pitch.Several games in Germany have been impacted by protests against a private investment firm obtaining part ownership of the top tier.
The players were forced to stop the game for seven minutesCredit: AFP
Bochum fans threw tennis balls onto the pitchCredit: AFP
The referee stopped the match due to the protest
And the domestic champions were the latest to be disrupted on Sunday as their shock 3-2 loss at Bochum was stopped for SEVEN MINUTES.
The referee took both sets of players into the dressing room while the protest was taking place as Harry Kane and Co were led down the tunnel.
They then returned to the field minutes later with Bayern leading 1-0 thanks to a Jamal Musiala goal.
But Bochum came roaring back to lead 2-1 before half-time.
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It was then briefly stopped again shortly after the hour mark as fans disrupted the match once more.
Play resumed within a few minutes of the players heading back down the tunnel.
When they returned, Bochum went 3-1 up before Kane cut the deficit. It wasn’t enough though as Bayern’s poor form continued.
It was the latest in a string of protests from German fans amid reports of a future stake in the league going to a private equity investor.
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On Saturday, the 2. Bundesliga clash between Hansa Rostock and Hamburg was interrupted when remote control cars carrying blue and white flares came onto the pitch.
And on Friday, Werder Bremen’s clash with FC Koln was halted for ten minutes in the second half as fan protests took over.
Matches stopped as remote control cars enter pitches and cause chaos with player booting one and others with flares on
Meanwhile, amid the chaos involving protests, there is also an intriguing title race in the Bundesliga.
Bayern, who are bidding for a 12th successive league title, were thrashed 3-0 by rivals Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.
The result extended Leverkusen’s lead over Bayern to five points.
And Xabi Alonso’s men increased that to eight points on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Heidenheim. More

WHEN you leave £60,000 in the back of a taxi you’d imagine it can’t get much worse.Yet it did for Max Kruse in 2016, who ended up building a chicken coop, having a Nutella addiction exposed and being fined by his club all within seven days.
Max Kruse helped build a chicken coop after a strange week
Kruse ended up being dropped from the German national teamCredit: EPA
The disastrous episode all started when the then-Wolfsburg star snuck off to Berlin for a poker tournament.
Kruse is an avid player and previously made the final of a World Series event.
At the tournament in the German capital, the striker competed late into the night and walked away with £60,000 in winnings.
But his first calamity struck when he somehow lost the earnings in a taxi home.
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Kruse, now 35, phoned the police but the money was never recovered.
He managed to keep the incident under wraps for months.
But Wolfsburg, and the German press, eventually found out.
And that led to another financial hit – as Kruse was fined £20,000 as punishment for playing in the first place.
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Now £80,000 down, many would turn to their comfort food.
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But not Kruse, as his peculiar seven days continued when German press then got wind of his addiction to Nutella.
The Germany star had been told by his Bundesliga club to lay off the sugar-rich treat after he had been seen scoffing it at breakfast during a winter training camp.
Leroy Sane PUNCHES TV camera after Bayern Munich concede third goal in devastating defeat to Bayer Leverkusen
Questioned about the two incidents, fuming Wolfsburg chief Klaus Allofs said: “Some people would have never seen so much money in their lives and certainly not in cash.
“There was a conversation between Max, myself and our coach. We explained to him what kind of behaviour we expect from our players in their free time in public.”
On his sweet tooth, Allofs added: “This sort of thing is dealt with internally. Max does need to correct a few things.
“We speak with all of our players. The aim is support them in such a way that will put them in a position to deliver their optimum performance.”
Chicken coop
The week from hell for Kruse was then topped off as he was sent to take part in a community project on behalf of his club.
The 14-time forward was mocked by Bild after being snapped putting on a pair of dungarees to help construct a chicken coop.
By that point, it was all too much for national team manager Joachim Low.
He ranted: “We need players who are focused on football and also understand their role as role models.
“I talked with Max about what I expect from players on and off the pitch. His actions in the last weeks were unprofessional.”
Kruse was never selected for a Germany squad again.
He retired last summer after a lengthy career, having scored 97 Bundesliga goals.
The legend played for the likes of Freiburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Union Berlin.
And he’s enjoying more hold’em in his retirement, regularly competing in World Series of Poker Europe events.
Speaking in 2022, after winning an event, Kruse said: “I think this ranks pretty high.
“This is a completely different thing. I’ve been training for soccer my whole life and normally I play (poker) just for fun so it’s nice to know that I’m not that bad. Hopefully, it won’t be the last one.” 
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“I can only play as a hobby right now because of my (soccer) career but we’ll see after my career if I continue playing more poker.”
Kruse is still playing poker and is a regular on the World Series of Poker tourCredit: WORLD SERIES OF POKER More

REMOTE CONTROL cars have stopped Bundesliga matches this weekend.Fans across Germany have been up in arms against a proposed deal to sell a future stake in the league to a private equity investor.
Remote-controlled cars carrying flares stopped a 2. Bundesliga matchCredit: Getty
A steward tried removing one by kicking itCredit: Getty
Fans also protested at Werder Bremen’s clash with FC Koln on FridayCredit: Rex
Remote-controlled cars were sent onto the pitch with tennis ballsCredit: Rex
Hansa Rostock and Hamburg’s 2. Bundesliga clash was stopped after remote control cars entered the pitch.
The vehicles were carrying blue and white flares that caused smoke to cover the ground.
Footage showed a steward chasing two remote cars and kicking one of them to try and get it off the pitch.
It was not the first time a German match has been disrupted this weekend.
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During Friday evening’s match, supporters once again displayed their animosity towards the proposal.
Werder Bremen’s clash with FC Koln was halted for ten minutes in the second half as fan protests took over.
Tennis balls were thrown into the penalty area, and two remote control cars went onto the pitch.
A video from the stands captured the disruption as the players tried to remove the tennis balls.
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The clip also showed one of the substitutes booting one of the remote control cars towards the touchline.
The car appeared to be undamaged and continued to drive around the penalty area.
Match suspended after two remote control cars enter pitch and start doing flips in penalty area with player booting one
It then started to do flips around the box, while the other one drove over the penalty area.
Previous protests have seen fans lob chocolate coins and apples onto pitches.
In a 2. Bundesliga fixture between Hamburg and Hannover fans interrupted the action by padlocking a bike to the goalposts.
Officials were only able to remove the bike with the use of a power saw.
The game was eventually restarted as Werder Bremen returned to winning ways in the league.
Forward Justin Njinmah netted the only goal of the game in the 70th minute.
The defeat for FC Koln has worsened their relegation fears as they currently sit 16th with just 16 points, five off 15th-placed Union Berlin. More