FIFA signal cooperation following CAS verdict

A day after the international sport tribunal (CAS) passed the verdict that there is no compulsion for Werder Bremen to release Diego for the Olympic Games, and the explanation that the Brazilian could remain with the team in Beijing under specific circumstances, FIFA have signalled their cooperation in with the implementation of the demands of the club. “Following the announcement of the verdict yesterday, we made contact with both the Brazilian Football Federation and FIFA to issue our requirements. Whilst we have still not heard from the Brazilian Football Federation, we have been sent some positive signals from FIFA,” commented general manager Klaus Allofs, who explained in detail the demands from the club: “The main issue from our point of view is that should Diego pick up an injury, Werder Bremen will be paid financial damages. There should be a sufficient insurance policy for the player.” The Werder general manager went on to say: “A fee for his release or the reimbursement of his salary, during the time that Diego is not available to Werder Bremen, is not at the top of our list of priorities.”

Additionally, Werder Bremen have been able to make contact with Diego in China through interpreter Roland Martinez and explained the willingness of the club to allow him to partake in the tournament in China despite the CAS verdict: “We have informed him of the situation and wished him all the success possible in the competition. We hope that he can avoid injury and maybe even scores a goal or two,” remarked Allofs, who emphasised that there is no tension between Diego and Werder: “We spoke about the situation rationally before his departure. There is no conflict between Diego and Werder Bremen. I am quite sure that he will pay us back sportingly for our willingness to meet him half-way.”

source: werder.de

CAS Sides With Clubs, Not FIFA – Messi, Diego, Rafinha Can Return

Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, employers of Brazilian duo Diego and Rafinha respectively, lodged an appeal with the CAS to block their players’ participation in the Olympic Games.

The two German outfits joined Barcelona in this quest as the Catalan club have been trying to prevent Lionel Messi from playing in Beijing – which would force him to miss the Champions League qualifiers.

CAS now decided on this case, having stipulated that the clubs are not obligated to release the players as FIFA had been requesting.

“The Olympic tournament doesn’t feature in the official FIFA calendar and there is no executive decision by FIFA which establishes a right of release for Under-23 players for this tournament,” read their verdict.

“Consequently, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen and Barcelona are not obliged to release the players Rafinha, Diego and Messi.

“CAS appeals to the good sense of the clubs and FIFA to find a reasonable solution which will allow a player who wishes to represent his country to compete in the Olympic Games.”

This basically means that Barcelona, Schalke and Werder can legally recall their players. Whether that will happen is being deliberated. Having put one over FIFA, the clubs may now consider letting the players participate on moral grounds.

source: goal.com

Levski – Werder 0-0 highlights

Short highlights of last night match:

Bundesliga Team-By-Team Preview: Werder Bremen

Go Diego Go

Since winning the Bundesliga crown in 2003/04 Werder Bremen have finished third on two occasions and second twice.  The fans at the Weser Stadion are looking for the Green and Whites to improve on those performances and give Bayern Munich a real challenge and ultimately win their fifth league title.

But in order to do that Thomas Schaaf’s side will have to add some steel and discipline to their brand of attacking football.  They hit 75 goals last season making them the league’s highest scorers for the third consecutive campaign, but they still finished ten points behind champions Bayern Munich.

Last season saw them achieve some crushing victories (8-1 v Bielefeld, 6-1 v Hannover and 5-1 v Schalke), but also some disappointing home defeats (1-2 v Bochum, 1-2 v Duisburg, and 0-1 v Wolfsburg) which ultimately saw their title challenge fizzle out after ending level on points with Bayern at the half way stage.

There hasn’t been a massive amount of investment so far in new players with the club perhaps a little wary after the Carlos Alberto saga of last season.  The Brazilian arrived in a blaze of publicity for a club record fee of €7.8 million, but flopped bigtime, playing just two league games before being sent back to Brazil on loan.

Thomas Schaaf has again gone for talented youngsters with Said Husejinovic, Sebastian Prödl and Niklas Andersen coming into the club.  Two established stars have however been lost with Tim Borowski joining Jürgen Klinsmann at Bayern and Ivan Klasnic calling it a day at the club and joining French side Nantes.

Werder also look likely to be without Diego for the start of the season after the Brazilian went against the wishes of the club and travelled to the Beijing Olympics to represent his country.  There could well be repercussions, but the club will have to tread carefully as there will be no shortage of big clubs sniffing round if they sense that there is any disharmony between player and club.

The North German side do however have a squad capable of challenging for the title if they can keep up the form they showed in the first half of last season for an entire campaign.

Keeper Tim Wiese is always good for a blooper or two but on the whole the Werder keeper is a solid stopper.  Per Mertesacker and Naldo build a formidable partnership at the centre of the defence but a knee injury during pre-season means that Mertesacker will miss a chunk of the start and Thomas Schaaf will have to find a short-term solution.  New signing Sebastian Prödl could well be just such a solution.

They look a little short of cover at full back after the sales of Wome and Owomoyela with Petri Pasanen and Clemens Fritz likely to backed up by the Serb Dusko Tosic, who didn’t really impress all that much last season after struggling to settle.
Any midfield that contains Diego and Torsten Frings will do well, but this season those around them will have to up their games.  Thomas Schaaf will be expecting the likes of Daniel Jensen, Frank Baumann and Jurica Vranjes to perform well and this season could be a big one for Mesut Özil, who is seen by many as the natural successor to Diego.

The forward duo will come from the trio of Markus Rosenberg, Boubacar Sanogo and Hugo Almeida, but none of them are going to guarantee hitting 20+ goals with a lot of the onus on Diego who has chipped in with 13 in both the two previous two seasons.

Quick Facts

Coach: Thomas Schaaf
Stadium: Weser Stadion (42,100)
2007/08 Position: 2nd
2007/08 Record: P-34 W-20 D-6 L-8 F-75 A-45 Pts-66
Players In: Said Husejinovic (Sloboda Tuzla), Niklas Andersen (Rot-Weiss Essen), Sebastian Prödl (Sturm Graz)
Players Out: Patrick Owomoyela (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Schindler (Hansa Rostock), Pierre Wome (Cologne), Ivan Klasnic (Nantes), Tim Borowski (Bayern Munich), Amaury Bischoff (Arsenal)
Possible Line-Up: Wiese- Boenisch, Naldo, Mertesacker, Fritz- Baumann, Frings, Jensen, Diego- Sanogo, Rosenberg

Prognosis:

As in the previous two seasons much will depend on the talismanic Diego.  It’s not that Werder are a one-man team but the Brazilian is the creator, the one that pulls the strings and his goal contribution is also vital in a team that lacks a top striker in the Luca Toni/ Mario Gomez mould.

Trainer Thomas Schaaf shows no signs of altering his attacking philosophy which will no doubt see Werder as the most entertaining side in the league with goals guaranteed at both ends.  Entertaining football sadly does not mean that you will win the league.  Champions League qualification will be the club’s main aim having been a regular participant over the past few years.

Prediction: 3rd

source: goal.com

FIFA Appeals to Club Teams to Let Olympic Players Stay

FIFA president, Joseph Blatter, made an impassioned plea to European clubs Monday, Aug. 4, to allow all under-23 players to participate at the Olympics.

The plea comes ahead of the men’s Olympic football tournament, which starts Aug. 7, a day ahead of the official opening of the Beijing Olympics. The tournament is open to players under the age of 23, but three clubs have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for the return of their players who are already in China.

German clubs Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, as well as Barcelona, have approached CAS about their players Diego, Rafinha and Lionel Messi, respectively.

Blatter told a news conference at the Beijing Main Press Center that whatever the outcome before the world’s highest sports arbitration body, due in the next two days, FIFA would tell the players to stay and play.

“We are bound by the decisions of CAS, but even if it is a decision that is negative for the players, I would say: Let them play.”

He also said that even with a CAS rule in favor of the three clubs, the clubs should allow the players to stay.

“The clubs should then say: We were right to appeal to CAS, but in the spirit of the Olympic Games we will let them stay and play,” Blatter said.

Finding a balance between clubs and national teams

The soccer head said that he was surprised that these problems had arisen ahead of these Games.

“In 1988 the FIFA Congress made the decision that the Olympic tournament should be open to players under 23,” he said. “Since then, we have not had a single complaint or problem with the release of players.

“Also when the tournament was opened to include three over-aged players, it remained without problems,” Blatter added.

He said he thought this issue was part of the ongoing problem of trying to combine the interest of clubs with that of the national teams.

“We have to find a balance,” he said.

At the same time, Blatter complimented the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A for releasing all their players, irrespective of whether they were under-23 or not.

“We need solidarity in soccer” he said. “We need everybody to work together. Players should be given the opportunity of playing at the Olympics.”

He dismissed the argument put forward by some clubs saying that as the Olympic tournament was not on the international match calendar, players need not be released for it.

“The match calendar deals only with the senior national teams; it does not mention youth tournament,” he said.

Revised rules for London?

He also said that the FIFA Congress in 2006 had decided that the format of the Olympic tournament will stay the same for 2008, but that the issue would be revisited after the Beijing Games for the 2012 Olympics in London.

“In England there will also be the issue of one British team instead of four associations which FIFA recognizes,” said Blatter, referring to FIFA’s special dispensation which allows Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland to field their own teams in other FIFA competitions.

“The Olympic body will allow just one team, Britain,” Blatter said.

The 72-year-old, who said that this tournament was a special one because it marked 100 years of Olympic soccer, thanked the IOC for allowing 12 women teams and 16 men teams to participate.

source: Deutsche Welle

Klaus Allofs: “This day is something very special”

Soon after the Werder Bremen stadium announcer duo of Christian Stoll and Arnd Zeigler had opened the ‘Tag der Fans’ (Day of the Fans) on Sunday morning, the clubs media director Tino Polster welcomed the good humoured Werder Bremen board of directors, Jürgen L. Born, Klaus Allofs, Klaus-Dieter Fischer and Manfred Müller, to the main stage to chat openly in front of the gathering public.

“I’m not surprised anymore,” remarked Klaus Allofs as he peered out at the massive turn out, which spread right the way across the area surrounding the stadium. “This day is something very special. We are now extremely close to our supporters and there really can’t be any better way to open the season than with the ‘Tag der Fans’.

Jürgen L. Born, chaiman of the board, agreed with his colleague: “There wouldn’t be any of this, if it wasn’t for you,” he declared to the throngs of fans. “On the way here today through Bremen, I didn’t see anyone who wasn’t wearing something green,” said Born, gleaming with enthusiasm. The chairman sees the hype surrounding Werder Bremen as being pretty simple to explain: “We have developed incredibly, we are right at the forefront with our image, we are playing attractive football and scoring more goals than any other Bundesliga side.”

source: werder.de

Werder fun in Oberhausen

It was a wonderful taster of what is to come on ‚Tag der Fans‘ (Day of the Fans). On Thursday, 31.07.2008, the complete Werder professional squad was on hand for an event initiated by the clubs main sponsors, Citibank, in the CentrO, Oberhausen on Luise-Albertz-Platz. The Green-White fateful were surrounded on the day by fans from Schalke, Dortmund, Bochum and Duisburg, who are all at home in the Ruhr Valley area.

That considered, the CentreO was packed full as trainer Thomas Schaaf’s men pulled in with the team bus at 4:30pm. Top sponsor ‘Deutsche Bahn’ brought the Bundesliga players then to the main railway station with one of their high speed ICE trains. Many of the fans had spent several hours in the searing heat waiting to catch a glimpse of Frings, Fritz, Rosenberg & Co.: “In particular when we play in the cities here, we are repeatedly reminded of the support that Werder Bremen has in the west of Germany,” commented Thomas Schaaf during the event, and he continued: “That’s why we chose to make this journey and we are delighted to have been greeted so heartily.”

source: werder.de

“Tag der Fans” 2008: All the events, all the partners

It’s not only Werder Bremen that have been busy coming up with fresh ideas for the 2008 “Tag der Fans” (Day of the Fans). In particular the clubs sponsors and partners have been hard at work, preparing a day’s events full of interest and diversity for the Green-White fateful on Sunday, 03.08.2008 from 10am. WERDER.DE has taken the time to present all the stands and give a sample of the sort of attractions awaiting those who visit.

Werder Bremen:
- Amongst other attractions there will be a round of discussion held with the Werder Bremen board of directors and the presentation of the Werder Bremen squad for the 2008/2009 season.
- From 11:30am there will be an autograph signing session with the Werder players at the Weser Stadium. (ATTENTION: Advice for the fans – we ask your understanding of the fact that the autograph signing session must be limited to a maximum of two hours. Our experience from previous such events has taught us that the demand on the players is massive and that it is simply impossible to even nearly meet that complete demand for autographs).
- From 2pm there will be a public training session in the Weser Stadium.

Citibank:
- Amongst other activities will hold an autograph session with the trainer team and general manager Klaus Allofs.
- ‘Robokeeper’: Man versus Machine!!
- Rotating goal wall
- Goal wall for kids
- Balloons, face-painting and lots more besides.

Volkswagen:
- Amongst other things there will be the official displaying of the VW Polo ‘Werder Edition’.
- Bobby car
- Kids driving licences
- Penalty killer
- XXL table football

KAPPA:
- The kit manufacturers will present a casting show for ‘Hero of the Match Day’.

EWE:
- Prize draw
- EWE truck with a model and animated depictions of the Weser Stadium
- Information surrounding the reconstruction of the Weser Stadium and more.

Deutsche Bahn:
- ICE truck
- ICE Bobby Train course
- Goal wall shooting competition.

Coca-Cola:
- The Coca-Cola Fan Kick and much, much more

Könecke:
- Will present a goal wall shooting competition with the top prize, a brand new VW Polo

InBev:
- All the fun of the ‘AirFun Tent’ with the presentation of loyalty cards.

Reno:
- Bouncy castle for the kids

Kraft Foods / Jacobs:
- Café bar and more

Caparol / Wilts:
- Show-Truck

HIT Radio Antenne:
- The Hit-Mobile with football quiz and DJ

Hol`ab!:
- Drink crate toppling
- Table football bar

Swb AG:
- Power socket throwing and balloons as well as much more for all the family

Cinemaxx:
- Film promotion
- Dexterity game
- The Wheel of Fortune

Conrad:
- Car radio throwing and more

VILSA:
- Promotion truck
- ‘VILSA-Roll’

Langnese:
- Langnese Super Soccer

Weser Kurier:
- Promotion stand and plenty more besides

source: werder.de

FIFA judge declares player release obligation – Werder’s reaction

On Wednesday morning Werder Bremen received the final decision of the judge from the ‘FIFA Player’s Status Committee’, Slim Aloulou, which states that all players under 23 years of age, who are nominated for the Olympic Games in Beijing, must be released by their respective clubs.

“We are now awaiting written confirmation of the reason for this decision, which we expect to reach our lawyers by Thursday. We can then discuss how we shall proceed. We are very interested in the exact details as to why this particular judgement was made,” remarked the clubs general manager Klaus Allofs on the news of the latest development.

Allofs wishes to wait for the official judgement before any decisions will be made on how Werder Bremen plan to react: “We will see then if there is any point in up-holding our complaint with the CAS (international sport commission),” explained Allofs, who has achieved at least one of the goals he had set himself: “We wanted a clear regulation, which applies to all clubs. That would appear to be the case now. What remains unclear is just why this decision wasn’t met four months ago when we initially approached FIFA.”

Allofs is now determined to ensure that regulations on the mandatory release of players will be upheld beyond the 2008 Olympic Games: “It is our duty to see to it that FIFA set very definite release modalities for the future. The sort of uncertainty that we have experienced over the past few months is no good for any club or any player.”

One definite decision has been made by the Green-Whites. The Serbian international Dusko Tosic, who has been nominated to partake in the Olympic Games, will fly out and join the Serbian Olympic Squad on Thursday, 31.07.2008. The release of the player by Werder Bremen is subject to revocation by the club should a relative judgement be met by the CAS.

source: werder.de

Training camp premiere on Norderney / launch in autumn 2008

At the training camp on Norderney, Werder Bremen and automobile manufacturer Volkswagen presented the newest addition to the Bundesliga club, which could develop a cult status with the fans: The VW Polo ‘Werder Edition’. This very special version of the successful model from the Wolfsburg based manufacturer will be available with a ‘Bundesliga’ compatible outfit, which is expected to score points with the Werder fans.

One particularly unmistakable feature of the Polo ‘Werder Edition’ is the large ‘Bremen-Tattoo’ on the rear column of the car. Other interior features such as a steering wheel strap, gear shift disc, access railing and the Werder logo on the head rests will warm the heart of any true Green-White. In addition, the car is kitted out with further sporty and comprehensive features like, air-conditioning, radio with CD player and alloy wheels. The Polo ‘Werder Edition’ will be available in the currently very fashionable white, as well as silver and black metallic finishes. There will be three varying petrol motors on offer.

“With the Polo ‘Werder Edition’, we are offering all Werder fans an attractive offer with which they can combine their love of driving and of the club,” said Anke Köckler, regional director of Volkswagen’s northern division. Werder captain Frank Baumann is also very happy about the special edition vehicle: “I think it’s fantastic that the partnership between Werder and VW can be so directly experienced by the fans.”

The commercial launch of the Polo ‘Werder Edition’ is planned for autumn 2008. The official unveiling of the special edition Polo, for all the Werder fateful to see, is set for the ‘Tag der Fans’ (Day of the Fans) on August 3rd at the Weser Stadium.

The brand Volkswagen is official car partner and top sponsor of the north German club since July 2008. As part of the mobility and advertising partnership, Volkswagen has made an exclusive fleet of vehicles available to the players and board of management of Werder Bremen since July.

source: werder.de

Agent: Baros Staying With Lyon

The Czech international spent the latter half of the 2007/08 season on loan with Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth, and had been tipped to make a permanent exit from Stade Gerland this summer.

Bolton and West Brom were alleged to have lodged Premier League interest in the 26-year-old, while Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen were also rumoured to be keeping tabs on Baros.

However, his representative Pavel Paska revealed that the striker is likely to stay at Lyon. The club have installed Claude Puel as manager in place of Alain Perrin, and Paska is confident that Baros can make a positive impression on his new boss.

He told MF Dnes: “We are not changing the strategy.

“Lyon are one of Europe’s top teams and Baros belongs there. The new coach is looking forward to working with Milan.”

Baros has endured a chequered Lyon career thus far, with a number of indiscretions to his name since his 2007 transfer from Aston Villa.

He has served a suspension for alleged racist remarks, and had his driver’s licence revoked after clocking 271 km/h in the region of Ain.

Lyon’s communications director Olivier Blanc refused to confirm whether the striker will be staying with the club.

source: goal.com

Werder Bremen take their place in the ECA

Since 01.07.2008, Werder Bremen has been a member of the European Club Association (ECA), making the Green-Whites one of the foursome of clubs representing Germany on the European stage. Alongside Werder Bremen, the Bundesliga is also represented by Bayern Munich, FC Schalke 04 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

“It underlines the growth in value that Werder has continually achieved in recent years. We will use this responsible position to have our say and lend our experience on the topic of professional football,” said the chairman of the board of management on his return from the two day ECA general assembly in Nyon.

The ECA members of the 15 most influential UEFA federations:

1 England
FC Chelsea, FC Liverpool, Arsenal London, Manchester United, Newcastle United

2 Spain
FC Barcelona, FC Seville, Real Madrid, FC Villareal, FC Valencia

3 Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Juventus Turin, US Palermo

4 France
Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseilles, AS Monaco, OSC Lille

5 Germany
FC Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, FC Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen

6 Russia
Zenit St. Petersburg, ZSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotive Moscow

7 Romania
Steaua Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest, Dinamo Bucharest

8 Portugal
FC Porto, Benfica Lisbon, Sporting Lisbon

9 Netherlands
PSV Eindhoven, AZ Alkmaar, Ajax Amsterdam

10 Scotland
Glasgow Rangers, Celtic Glasgow, Heart of Midlothian

11 Turkey
Fenerbahce Istanbul, Besiktas Istanbul, Galatasaray Istanbul

12 Ukraine
Schachtjor Donetzk, Dynamo Kiev, Dnepr Dnjepropetrowsk

13 Belgium
RSC Anderlecht, FC Brügge, Standard Lüttich

14 Greece
Panathinaikos Athens, Olympiakos Piräus, AEK Athens

15 Czech Republic
Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, FK Teplice

source: werder.de

Klasnic agrees Nantes move

Ivan Klasnic has agreed a four-year contract with newly promoted French club Nantes, according to the Ligue 1 side.

The Croatia international has recently left Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen as a free agent after letting his contract in Germany come to an end.

He had been rumoured to be attracting interest from England, with Wigan among those said to be monitoring his situation.

However, he is now set for a new challenge in France and will be hoping to reassert his position as one of Europe’s most feared strikers.

He scored twice for his country at Euro 2008 this summer, putting his recent health problems firmly behind him.

He was forced to undergo two kidney transplants in the last two years, and is currently in the process of seeking damages from Werder for their failure to diagnose the condition during his first five seasons with the club.

source: skysports.com

Chairman Born at the ECA general assembly in Nyon

Chairman of the Werder Bremen board of management, Jürgen L. Born, will be in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday and Tuesday (07./08.07.2008) to partake in the European Club Association (ECA) general assembly. The independent organisation was established to represent the interests of European clubs. At the two-day meeting, the first official board will be elected, which will finally be able to begin operations after several months of development.

“They will be a very interesting couple of days, as many principle decisions will be made. Aside from the board, there will also be a number of cooperative groups established and we will discuss the new ECA office,” explained Born.

In early 2008, the ECA took over the work of the former ‘G14’ group, who represented the interests of the top European clubs in a counter role to UEFA. The new consortium has already been compiled and will be composed of representatives from all 53 UEFA member states. The ECA will represent an estimated 103 clubs all across Europe, which includes Werder Bremen. The exact number of clubs to be dispatched by each individual federation will be newly allotted every two years.

source: werder.de

Record: Werder sell 130,000 jerseys

Werder Bremen and outfitter KAPPA achieved a new superlative during the 2007/2008 Bundesliga season. In the sale of replica shirts, some 130,000 home, away and event jerseys from the KAPPA collection changed hands. During the 2006/2007 season sales reached 85,000. The result was a 53% increase in sales.

“The sale of replica jerseys has made a sensational development and it shows just how strong the Werder Bremen brand has become. In that particular area we are at the very peak in the Bundesliga,” explained Manfred Müller, Werder’s director of marketing and management, and he continued: “We achieved the increased turnover without a title win, which is normally the reason behind such a boost in the sales of fan articles and merchandise.”

For the 2008/2009 season, Werder Bremen and outfitter KAPPA have presented new home, event and goalkeeper kits. The home shirt from last season will function as the away shirt this time around. From the new collection, in just one month, some 10,000 shirts have already been sold in all outlets. Particular favourites are jerseys bearing the names Frings and Diego.

source: werder.de