A football recovery called Euro 2012

The typical end of season feeling: another year of club football is gone. And along with it loads of blood, sweat and tears. On the contrary, World Cups and European Championships have always been kind of footballing recreational holidays for me. I don't have to root for anybody and therefore I'm able to simply enjoy the beautiful game in the true sense of the word. Having a barbecue and chilled drinks while watching Europe's finest footballers doin' their job in HD – as good as it gets. At every international tournament since World Cup 94 I participated in a private betting game run by some of my mates. This time I furthermore decided...

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23 Tons of 96

Hannover 96 may be the most boring club from the most boring town in the world... but then again they have something "not to mess with": ...

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Germany UEFA Euro 2012 Squad

Eastern bloc party Well, Uber Football do not support any national teams. Nevertheless here are the final votes of the Jogian jury: Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96) Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern München), Jerome Boateng (Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal FC) Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern München), Thomas Müller (Bayern München),...

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Free, funny, Franco Foda

Close, but no banana! 1. FC Kaiserslautern admittedly had to perceive their bitter descent to 2nd division, but they also seem starting to do their homework. Yesterday, Franco Foda officially was presented as new manager. As a distinctive ex-player, he can be considered a supporters' favorite and for that reason alone probably is not the worst of choices. The 46-year-old furthermore had a long and successful spell as manager of Austrian side Sturm Graz. His most remarkable achievement however was more of an unintentional nature. Coming off the bench, Foda prepared himself to replace teammate Michael Frontzeck in the 82nd minute of...

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The Rest of Leipzig

Leipzig's not only the setting for a soda producer's plan of world conquest, it's also home of the country's most noteworthy football statue. Or eleven noteworthy statues, to be precise. Summer of 1963. Despite being GDR's 2nd city and having two teams in the top flight, Leipzig hardly noted any success as far as football is concerned. Therefore mass sports organization DTSB decided to unify the two sides to a central Leipzig's sports club – Lokomotive and Rotation turned into SC Leipzig. The newly formed club's first team was compound from the supposedly best players of its two forerunners. The remaining players, who could not put themselves...

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1. Bundesliga All-Star Team 2011-12 Season

Someone Still Loves You Lewis Holtby Quick and painless, 100% subjective: Klaas-Jan  Huntelaar (S04) Raúl (S04) Franck Ribery (FCB) - Marco Reus (BMG) - Shinji Kagawa (BVB) Sebastian Kehl (BVB) Filip Daems (BMG) - Holger Badstuber (FCB) - Mats Hummels (BVB) - Łukasz Piszczek (BVB) Marc-André ter Stegen (BMG) Manager/Coach: Jos Luhukay (FC Augsburg...

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Relegation does not necessarily mean Relegation

Hertha's last lifeline One of the local specialities of German football: the relegation play-offs. It's simply called "Relegation" in this part of the world, which might sound strange to foreign ears. Indroduced in the 1981-82 season, the 1. Bundesliga relegation playoffs were played until 1991 and then again since 2009 following a 18-year hiatus. Easy formula: Third team from bottom of 1. Bundesliga plays a two-legged playoff with the third-place team of 2. Bundesliga, with the winner playing 1. Bundesliga the next season. Away goals rule applies. The same format is used since 2008-09 between 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga. This year's fixtures: 1....

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Die Toten Hosen playing at Jens Jeremies' home

Cheeky Jens Jeremies Celebrating their 30-year anniversary, German punk rocker "Die Toten Hosen" (DTH) did what they call a Magical-Mystery-Tour across the country. Fans were given the chance to apply for the band performing in their living rooms - for beer, sandwiches and "a place to crash". One very special application among 4,500 others arrived from a small town in the vicinity of Munich. None other than six-time German champion and Champions League winner Jens Jeremies wanted the band to play at his party basement. Which btw looks like every football maniac's wet dream (except the Bayern posters of course). He justified his application...

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Mailand oder Madrid? Tim to say good buy

It's not pink, it's salmon-coloured Once asked for which side he will play next season, Andreas "Andy" Möller responded with his very own unintentional sense of humor: Mailand oder Madrid, Hauptsache Italien. Milan or Madrid, as long as it is in Italy. A legendary bloomer that has already advanced to become a classic of the genre. Furthermore it could have served as a motto for Tim Wiese's career management. Currently attached to Werder Bremen, Germany's No. Two goalkeeper was linked with a move to either Real Madrid or one of the two Milan based giants. Yesterday however, it was announced that the 30-year-old will work for village club...

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