For a while, it seemed like Bayern Munich had saved themselves. Then it looked like the referee had done the job. Then, finally, the VAR. In the end though the muscle memory, and relentless pressure of the Champions League’s most successful club meant no one could now save their season.

Two late goals from Real Madrid substitute Joselu, the second subject to that injury time VAR check, turned the tie around after Alphonso Davies had given Bayern a second half lead. When Nacho’s deflected strike was ruled out shortly afterwards, Bayern looked to be booking an all-German final for the first time since 2013. But it wasn’t to be.

First, Manuel Neuer, who had pulled off a series of spectacular saves throughout the game, spilled a shot from Vinicius Junior, and Joselu tapped home from close range. Then the journeyman forward, born in Stuttgart, Germany, finished from Antonio Rüdiger’s cross and was ruled onside by the VAR. Bayern thought they may have had an equalizer even deeper into injury time but Mathijs de Ligt’s strike was controversially ruled out, with officials later admitting to errors in the decision, according to Bayern players and staff.

Painful loss in painful season

"It hurts," said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel of the result. "It’ll take a while to recover but it’s a loss where we left it all out on the pitch. Of course, it’s still tough to accept but it’s reality. No regrets."

While there may have been no regrets in the Spanish capital, the 2023-24 season has been full of them, as Bayern have burnt through two coaches and a series of off-field dramas. Bayern and Tuchel have two remaining Bundesliga games to play, with only the scale of their underachievement in the league to be determined. They will play in the Champions League next year but could still finish as low as fourth in Germany, have already lost the title, and will go without a trophy for the first time since 2012.

"I’m proud of the fight we showed today because it’s not easy to play here, but in the end we will win nothing, so it’s not really Bayern Munich," de Ligt told DAZN after the match. "I’m really disappointed with this season, so hopefully next season we can do better."

Like Borussia Dortmund the night before, Bayern had little choice but to stake their season on the Champions League. Unlike the side they beat in the 2013 final, also at Wembley, they came up short. 

No longer best of the Bundesliga

While the 2013 final was a clash of two clubs at the peak of the powers, this would have been something different: a triumph of hope, novelty, moments of class and a decent chunk of fortune. Neither side can claim to be the best side in Germany, with Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten season inarguable, let alone Europe. But a Champions League win can paper over even the biggest cracks.

Wednesday’s semifinal loss means the cracks that have shown in losses to Heidenhiem, Bochum, Werder Bremen and Saarbrücken will need to be addressed properly. 

With CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic sacked at the end of last season, new sporting director Max Eberl only beginning his work in March and with Tuchel already on his way out the door, the coaching question appears the obvious place to start.

New coach search a struggle

But the deposed German champions are having little luck there either. Julian Nagelsmann, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and Austria boss Ralf Rangnick have all spurned advances, leaving Bayern with few places to turn. To rub salt in the wound, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was sacked early in his second season at Bayern in 2017-18 despite having won the title the season before. He is now on course for fifth Champions League title while another former Bayern man, Real’s midfield metronome Toni Kroos, could win a sixth.

"We were clearly the better team over 90 minutes today," Kroos said, reacting to Bayern’s frustrations at the late decisions before cranking up the pressure on Dortmund. "A Champions League final is something Dortmund haven't played in that often. It's a completely different atmosphere. Wembley. There are a few other feelings that come over you."

For the last decade or so, Bayern have had the most luxurious of problems: they needed to win in Europe and in Germany to feel truly successful. On Wednesday, just Europe would’ve sufficed. Instead, they must watch as Dortmund get that chance on June 1.

Edited by: Kieran Burke

Borussia Dortmund before the second leg of their Champions League semifinal with Paris Saint-Germain head coach Edin Terzic said that if football games were decided on the favorites, his side wouldn't even have made it to this stage.

Now, the Bundesliga's current fifth-placed team are in their second Champions League final in London in 11 years.

Indeed, it was Dortmund, not the favorites, who looked more in control. It was Dortmund, whose squad is valued at less than half of their opponents, who landed the knockout blow. And it is Dortmund, a club whose majority owners are their fans and not a country, who are in the final.

"To make the final, where it all started in 2013, hats off," Marco Reus told Amazon afterward. "It's crazy that we're in the final. No one thought it was possible."

"There is always a team that makes the quarterfinal that people don't expect to be there and we wanted to be that team this year," Edin Terzic said afterward.

"I will drink more than one glass [of red wine] tonight," said Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Luck on their side

Like all great sides, they needed their fair slice of luck. A deflection from defender Nico Schlotterbeck's went just wide instead of going in. Mats Hummels' sliding tackle clipped PSG's Ousmane Dembele centimeters outside the box rather than in.

French midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery hit the post from a tight angle when he looked destined to put the home side in front. His Portuguese teammates Nuno Mendes and Vitiniha sent long-range efforts onto the post and bar, respectively.

An effort from Kylian Mbappe, a World Cup champion who is no stranger to scoring big goals, hit the bar with four minutes to go. PSG ended the tie having hit the woodwork six times and scoring no goals.

In both games, luck was on Dortmund's side, and composure was not on PSG's. When Reus was asked about the woodwork being on their side, he simply replied, "Who cares? No one will ask about that in the morning. They'll only see our name in the final."

To speak only of luck, though, would be to ignore how Dortmund have played in what has become a legendary run to the final. The German club finished top of a group with PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle. They dealt with PSV in the last 16, dramatically overcame Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals and overturned the overwhelming favorites without conceding.

Fitting, then, that this team of entertainers makes the Champions League final in the year they have looked the most inconsistent in the Bundesliga. Last season, they lost the German league title in heartbreaking fashion on the final day. This time around, they've twice drawn with Heidenheim and are nowhere near the top three.

A victory years in the making

But this victory was a testament to a team finding itself at the perfect time — Dortmund played the same starting eleven for the third straight game — and a coach who is showing he belongs at the top level. The club's last run to the Champions League final in 2013, one they lost to Bayern Munich in London, was due in part to the emergence of Kevin Grosskreutz, the fan-turned-player. Now, with Terzic, it's the fan-turned-coach. The connections in this club remain at its core.

"That's why we do it," said Terzic, watching the clips of his team celebrating with fans and friends afterward. "We wanted it last year in our own stadium, but the pictures looked different. Tonight, we were able to give some of that back to our fans today."

Perhaps there was an element of that carrying this team through this season. This was a victory for all those moments when the club's mentality was questioned, for the trauma of the bomb attack on the team bus in 2017, for Reus, the club's iconic figure who recently announced his departure after 12 years of service that passed with more major injuries than major titles, for the fans who traveled to Paris and had to pay more for the cheapest ticket than many PSG fans in Dortmund did, for a league that has shown the rest of Europe it is possible to enjoy football without opening the door to rampant capitalism.

The scenes of players, fans and families celebrating together afterward offered an opportunity to remember what this club and all connected to it have been through in recent years and why that makes this moment so special for them.

Hummels the hero

For a side whose pieces have finally fit together, it was only logical that Hummels, a club icon also critical in their 2013 Champions League run, won man of the match. The 35-year-old defender has played every minute in Europe this season, and while there have been dips this season, there have also been plenty of vintage performances from the veteran defender.

Tuesday night's showing in Paris was another example of that: a stretched foot to deny Mbappe, 78% of his tackles won, and in game 506, perhaps the most important goal of his career.

In 2017, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of PSG's €222 million purchase of Neymar: "Once a country owns a club, everything is possible."

Everything, it seems, other than the Champions League title. Since the Qatari takeover, PSG have been to one final. Borussia Dortmund are now heading to their second in the same timeframe, and they might even face Bayern Munich all over again.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp

His coach called him a "living legend", the fans on Dortmund's famous Yellow Wall terrace gave him everything they had and 18-year-old debutant Kjell-Arik Wätjen provided the pass from which Marco Reus scored his 169th Dortmund goal. The Saturday game saw BVB trounce Augsburg 5-1. As goodbyes go, this was about as good as they get.

But, despite the farewell feeling, the fact that Reus was one of 10 changes from Dortmund's last match, a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, showed that priorities of coach Edin Terzic lie beyond the Bundesliga. Reus has yet to bow out — the semifinal second leg of the Champions League will be played on Tuesday.

Reus is one of only two Dortmund players (the other being Mats Hummels, who left for Bayern Munich and returned) who started BVB's last Champions League final, against Bayern at Wembley in 2013. He won the penalty converted by Ilkay Gündogan that bought Dortmund level in London before Arjen Robben's last minute winner for Bayern.

Symbol of longevity 

That is testament to the longevity of a player who played for his hometown club as a boy and returned in 2012 from Borussia Mönchengladbach. His misfortune with injuries and trophy near misses, allied to his deadly finishing, sharp movement and creative brain have made him synonymous with his club.

"It's very emotional. Marco is a living legend,” said Terzic. "Where else can you find that in modern soccer? A story where someone chooses a club for twelve years and spends almost his entire career there is extraordinary at this level."

Reus, for his part, said the response of the crowd to his first match after announcing he would leave on Friday was "indescribable. To be called forward, to have the fans shout your name, I have no words for it," he told Sky immediately after the match.

But the star athlete will not be able to bask in the crowd's adoration for too long.

"I'm glad there's now clarity and we can now focus fully on the final games, which are so important. We have a big goal ahead of us that we want to achieve together. We want to get to Wembley. We want to bring the Champions League trophy back to Dortmund," he said.

Change of fortune at final turn?

Should Dortmund beat the odds and lift the trophy on June 1, it will be only the third trophy win for the 34-year-old Reus, coming after German Cup wins in 2017 and 2021. Dortmund have come close but missed out on the Bundesliga title a few times in his career, perhaps most painfully last year, when they blew it on the final day.

Misfortune has also followed Reus on the international stage. Despite making his Germany debut in 2011, he's only managed to rack up 48 caps, missing the 2014 World Cup win through injury. He then missed out on Euro 2016, again due to injury, declared himself not fit enough for the postponed Euros in 2021 and was again ruled out of the last World Cup, in Qatar 2022.

The injuries and near misses do not detract from the player Reus has been for Dortmund, with sporting director Sebastian Kehl describing him as "one of the greatest players we have in BVB history."

There will be few that doubt that. But even they might be forced to reassess if Reus can have an even more golden goodbye in London.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

"Role models are important so that other women realize what is possible," Sabrina Wittmann said in an interview published on the website of the German Football Association (DFB) early last month. A few weeks later, she has become just such a role model.

Appointed as interim head coach at Ingolstadt last week, the 32-year-old earned her first point in charge of the third-division outfit on Sunday, as Ingolstadt pulled out a last-minute 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Waldhof Mannheim.

"Exciting, just like the previous few days," Wittmann told MagentaSport shortly after the final whistle.

"We've already implemented a lot of what we trained over the past three days. That makes me look forward to more."

Wittmann is not the first woman to take charge of a men's side in Germany – former national team player Inka Grings had a spell as head coach of SV Straelen a few years ago, as did Imke Wübbenhorst at Sportfreunde Lotte. However, both these clubs were in the fourth tier – a step below the 3. Liga (third division), the lowest fully professional league in Germany. 

There is currently one female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, Marie-Louise Eta of Union Berlin.

'Quality trumps gender'

"If Sabrina were male, there would have been no fuss," said Ingolstadt's sporting director Ivica Grlic of Wittman's promotion from coaching the club's under-19 side.

"But we go by quality and not by gender," added the former Bundesliga midfielder who made 16 appearances for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the mid-2000s. Grlic described Wittmann's main attributes as being "direct, authentic, very talented."

Born and raised in Ingolstadt, Wittman played as an amateur for her hometown club from 2011 to 2013, before moving on to other teams in the southern state of Bavaria. She turned to coaching while still a player in 2017, and has since worked with several youth teams at Ingolstadt.

Her big break came after Ingolstadt parted ways with previous boss Michael Köllner – as, according to Grlic, the club sees developing young coaches as an important part of its profile.

Four league games and a cup final

Wittmann has been put in charge until the end of the season, giving her five matches, including Sunday's draw, to make her case for being kept on for next season. 

"It would be a mistake to rule anything out. We're open to everything," Grlic said of the possibility of her earning the job longer term.

She can make her argument with a minimum of pressure in the league, as Ingolstadt sit in 11th place and are therefore not in a battle for promotion nor against relegation.

However, there will be plenty on the line when she takes to the coaching zone for Ingolstadt's last game of the season – the final of the Bavarian Cup on May 25. Winning the title would see Ingolstadt qualify for the first round of next season's German Cup.

This article was adapted from German.

"We definitely don't want to win the 'Wolfsburg Cup,' as some people might call it. We want to win the [German] Cup, and then maybe we can name it something different this year."

Footballer Georgia Stanway isn't fazed. The England midfielder scored the opener as Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Saturday to retain the Bundesliga and put the club on the verge of the first domestic double in its history. A German Cup final on May 9 against Wolfsburg, the standard setters in German women's football and winners of the last nine straight cups, isn't something that has the 25-year-old concerned.

"We know that whenever we play Wolfsburg, we don't know what we're going to get," Stanway told DW. "Those games are going to be fierce and a real high quality.

"The pressure's high, but as a team, we're in a really good place. I'm excited, and it is really difficult not to get ahead of yourself."

World Cup hangover long gone

Stanway has had little time to step away from the game since England lost the World Cup final to Spain last August. The midfielder's desire to push through caught up with her, though.

"Post World Cup, I was OK because I just wanted to keep going forward and hoping that time would be the healer," she said. "It only hit me around December. My body and my mind were not right. I was tired the whole time, I'd never slept so much in my life. The performances I was giving weren't up to the standard I wanted them to be."

Ultimately, Stanway realized she needed a break.

"I knew that the reason why I wasn't in my A-game was because I was tired of my life. I needed to go home and needed to see my family," she said.

Stanway attributed her return to form and her improvement overall to the approach of Bayern head coach Alexander Straus.

"I've never had a manager that's so approachable," said Stanway. "He cares about everything, maybe too much.

"He cares about everything that's going on in your life, and he cares about everything that's going on in your football because he knows that anything can affect another.

"I've had it with Sarina Wiegman [England manager], but you've got that female connection. I've never had that with a male manager."

Artist on and off the pitch

To suggest that Stanway's reset at home is her only source of comfort would be to miss the connection she continues to make with Munich. Recently, she has begun turning another unique passion into a reality: being a tattoo artist.

"It's my way of escaping from everything," she explained. "Just being able to have some peace and quiet. The reward afterward is special."

After visiting a tattoo parlor when she first moved to Munich, Stanway formed a connection with the artists and found it became a therapeutic exercise.

"It's very nerve-wracking, but you have to be calm in the process. By the end, you're high on adrenaline because you've just made someone genuinely happy."

Return to form

Stanway has clearly been doing that on the field this season, too, with her jersey one of the top-selling when the club released a special women's only kit earlier this year.

It's no coincidence that the Bavarian team's most convincing performances have coincided with Stanway's return to form. Five goals in her last five outings in all competitions have underlined her attacking qualities, but her influence has grown well beyond goal scoring output.

Everything about this England midfielder is at the core of why Bayern are two wins removed from winning the first double in club history, a feat that would secure Stanway a well-earned respite in the offseason.

"Actually for me this summer, it's an opportunity for me to get a break," admitted Stanway. "This will be my first summer off since 2016, from youth tournaments to Euros/World Cups."

"So as much as I am disappointed I'm not going to the Olympics because I would have loved to have represented Team GB, I also know that my body and my mind are dying for a rest. It seems like an ideal time."

Edited by: James Thorogood

There are practical reasons why Sudan's biggest club Al Hilal S.C are leaving their homeland, but the club's desire is that its departure also brings hope to the people suffering in the country's current conflict.

"The people of Sudan need to see that there is more to life than war," Al-Hilal's business manager, Abdelqadir Musa, told DW. "They need to see something on the television or hear something on the radio or television that is about sport and not just war and fighting."

Al-Hilal are a Sudanese powerhouse and well-known in Africa and the Arab world having won 29 league titles and twice finished runners-up in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, the continent's biggest club competition. In Sudan however, football has ground to a halt.

Civil war

The outbreak of civil war in April 2023 changed everything. Large parts of Al-Hilal's home city of Omdurman have been reduced to rubble, with empty shops and offices riddled with bullet holes and unexploded shells.

Fighting between two rival military groups, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has been raging ever since the war's start. Around 15,000 people have been killed and an estimated eight million of the country's 47 million inhabitants have been internally displaced. Around two million people have gone overseas.

Al-Hilal are doing the same, announcing in March that they will be based in the Tanzanian Premier League next season. There seemed to be no other choice.

"For the club to continue to function, the contracts of the players need to be valid and continue," said Musa. Next season's CAF Champions League is vital for the club: "They can make money in that campaign, which can keep the club going but they need players to keep playing in it."

But that alone is not enough, Musa adds. "That is a seasonal tournament and you can be knocked out any time. There has to be football on a regular basis, otherwise the players will leave. They had to look to another league."

Moving home

When Al-Hilal made it clear that they wanted to explore options, there also received offers from  Libyaand Mauritania. Tanzania was chosen because the team had happy memories of being based in the country's biggest city of Dar Es Salaam during the group stages of the 2023-24 CAF Champions League.

"Al-Hilal were welcomed very warmly there, and I witnessed more than 5,000 supporters from Tanzania come and support Al-Hilal," Collins Okinyo, former media officer at CAF, told DW. "It was a great occasion. The people there love football and the people will be welcoming once again. It will be a second home for them."

Even though the games will not be officially competitive — there will be no points on offer and they will not be part of the league table — Al-Hilal hope that the move will keep the players sharp.

"We are doing what we can to help a fellow African team when they are going through a difficult time," a spokesperson from the TanzaniaFootball Federation told DW. "It will also add something different to our league for our fans too."

Symbol of hope

There is a history of football making a difference in African countries experiencing conflict.

"Look at Didier Drogba, he asked those involved in the Ivory Coast civil war to stop and they did," said Okinyo. "Football can bring people together."

Upon qualifying for the first World Cup in 2006 — ironically with a victory in Sudan — Drogba, a huge star, picked up a microphone and addressed his nation.

"Men and women of Ivory Coast," he said. "From the north, south, center, and west, we proved today that all Ivorians can coexist and play together with a shared aim — to qualify for the World Cup. We promised you that the celebrations would unite the people — today we beg you on our knees."

In 2007, the striker announced that a game would be played in the rebel stronghold of Bouake, where there were scenes of jubilation and celebration after a win over Madagascar. Drogba's words and actions helped bring the two sides to the negotiating table and while the peace was not permanent, football did bring hope to the nation.

However successful Al-Hilal's move is, everyone hopes that the situation is a temporary one. "The people of Sudan want the war to end as soon as possible," said Musa. "So many people have suffered, so many have been displaced and so many have lost their jobs."

Al-Hilal playing football in another country could also remind the rest of Africa and the world that the conflict is still going on. As Musa said, "When it started, there was a lot of coverage in the media but it has gone on for so long that it is not talked about as much now."

Edited by: Jonathan Harding

Brazilian archer Graziela Santos is an exceptional athlete.

"I am the first Indigenous woman on the Brazilian archery team," she told DW. "This is a historic milestone for all of us."

Santos wants to become the first Indigenous woman ever to compete for Brazil at the Olympic Games. Getting a ticket to Paris would not only be the fulfillment of a personal dream, but also an accolade for a development project in the Amazon that supports young Indigenous athletes.

Graziela Santos was still at school when she first learned about the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS).

"It was a five-hour boat journey from the village where we lived to Manaus. There was only one primary school back then," the Brazilian recalled.

Back then, Santos heard that the FAS was setting up an archery project and was looking for young talents.

"This sport originates from our ancient culture, because we have been using bows and arrows for a long time. But before this project, I didn't even know that archery existed," said Santos. 

Now, at the age of 28, she is a member of her home country's national team and trains at the archery performance center in Marica in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Santos belongs to the Indigenous Karapãna people and comes from the community of Kuana on the Cuieiras River, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Manaus. In the Indigenous language, she is called Yaci, which means moon.

Around 1.7 million Indigenous people live in Brazil today, which is about 0.8% of the total population. Her brother Gustavo Santos is also a member of the Brazilian national team.

Great potential among Indigenous athletes

Now, Graziela Santos has the chance to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Her rapid growth comes down to talent, hard work during practice, her coaches and the support of the FAS, which at the time was specifically looking for Indigenous talent.

Whilst using a bow and arrow is deeply engraved in Santos' ancient culture, there are a few differences between traditional use and Olympic archery.

"Of course, there are similarities, but there are also some striking differences," Santos said. "In archery, we have a whole range of equipment, the blades, the strings, the stabilizer and the sight, so we can achieve a better result."

Santos is convinced that there is huge, undiscovered potential among Indigenous people.

"We do everything," she said. "We run, we swim, we shoot with bows and arrows and we hunt and fish. Our motor coordination is great."

According to Santos, that's the reason why Indigenous people from the countryside can master different sports faster than people from the city.

The dream of an own performance center

The next few weeks will decide if her big dream of the Olympics will actually come true. But regardless of the outcome, Graziela, her brother Gustavo and the FAS have already set an example.

Indeed, the FAS looks set to change a generation after FAS activists won money in front of millions of spectators on a Brazilian TV show. The money will be used to fulfill another dream: the construction of a training center for archery in the Amazon region. 

"I am convinced that investing in Indigenous athletes is a successful way forward," Santos said. "We come from villages and communities that are far away from Manaus. We don't have the financial resources to travel to Manaus and live there all year round, pay for the materials and feed ourselves like top athletes."

A performance center in the region would create the opportunity to pass on experiences to other young people locally.

"The construction will lead to the discovery of great talents that we have among our people, and it is important that these young people do not leave their homeland early, but stay close to their families," said Santos. "More top athletes representing Indigenous people will come through."

Role model for other Indigenous people

The main focus, however, remains on Olympic qualification. The last opportunity to claim a spot will be at the qualifier in Antalya, Turkey in June.

"As a team, we have to make it to the final four," Santos said. "Our preparation is intense and we are taking part in international competitions. Those events are very important for us to deal with the pressure and improve more and more."

Graziela Santos feels like a pioneer and a role model for other Indigenous women. "My example shows that we deserve to be here," she said. "We can choose our goals and prove that we will achieve them one day."

This text was originally written in German.

For the first time in history, Uzbekistan will compete in a team sport at the Olympics.

Victory over Indonesia in a wild under-23 Asian Cup semifinal saw Indonesia have a goal disallowed and a man sent off, Uzbekistan fire off 28 shots and hit the woodwork four times, before running out 2-0 winners to secure their spot in Paris this summer.

"I dedicate this victory to our President, our people and our supporters," said head coach Timur Kapadze.

"It's true we dominated this game, my players were better physically and tactically. It was a game where we felt the pressure because we wanted to go to the Olympics."

Olympic regulations state that men's squads are restricted to under 23 players (born on or after 1 January 2001) with a maximum of three over-age players allowed in the 18-player squad.

Olympic history long in the making

In the current team is the first ever Uzbek player to play in France's top flight, 20-year-old Lens defender, Abdukodir Khusanov, and 21-year-old holding midfielder and captain Abdurauf Buriev, who plays his club football for Olympic Tashkent in the Uzbekistan Super League. Buriev has been a star in this tournament, but it's the collective power of this Uzbekistan team that made their historic run possible.

In Qatar, the team scored 14 goals, equaling the record for the most goals by a team in a single tournament, and conceded just one, in the final. They are first team since Saudi Arabia to make two straight — and three overall — finals. An injury time loss in the final to Japan prevented the Uzbeks from being first ever side to win this competition twice.

"It is a very big moment in my career [to qualify for the Olympics] but I cannot say anything because it was a very emotional match," Buriev said after the semifinal win.

Uzbekistan's history in this tournament has actually been unlucky, even before the cruel late blow on Friday. The year they won in 2018 was a non-Olympic year and in 2020, when the tournament served as a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, they missed out on an Olympic spot after losing the third-place playoff. In 2022, they lost in the final. This Olympic dream has been a long time in the making.

Indeed, qualifying for the Olympics is perhaps the greatest achievement in the country's football history. Both the men's and women's teams have not only never been to an Olympics before, but have also never competed at a World Cup. Other than the under-23's victory in 2018, the only notable success so far is the men's first team's fourth-placed finish at the 2011 Asian Cup.

The volcanic island of Robinson Crusoe, 670 kilometers (416 miles) west of Chile's mainland, was renamed in 1966 after the famous Daniel Defoe novel about a man left to survive on a remote island.

Over 300 years after the novel was written, this island of roughly 1,200 residents enjoyed one of the most magical moments of football history.

For the first time ever, the island competed in Chile's domestic football cup. The Football Federation of Chile invited Robinson Crusoe Island and Alejandro Selkirk Island to join together and compete as the "Juan Fernandez Archipelago".

On the last Saturday in April, they hosted three-time cup winners Santiago Wanderers and fell to a narrow 2-1 loss.

Juan Fernandez goalkeeper Hector Melo, who made a string of great saves, gave an emotional interview afterwards talking about his teammates, the people on the island and the beauty of football.

Most of the visiting team undertook a more than 30-hour boat trip to travel to and from the island because its airstrip is so tiny.

Marcelo Diaz is one of the journalists who traveled to the Robinson Crusoe to cover the game. After taking a flight on a small aircraft with space for no more than eight passengers, he says he then needed to take another forty-minute boat trip to reach the main town of San Juan Bautista.

Although isolated, San Juan Bautista has places to stay, a state-of-the-art phone system and satellite television. Chile's air force reportedly drops by to deal with routine medical and dental care on the island's rudimentary airstrip.

"They want the island to be better known. In 2010, they suffered a tsunami, in 2011 an air tragedy. They want to be looked at differently. That's why they are excited about the game," Diaz told DW.

"The coach is Jorge Garces, a former player and a title-wining coach in 2001. They have prepared in the best way."

Fishermen vs. pros

Garces, who ironically won a title with Santiago Wanderers, the team Juan Fernandez faced, lived on the island for two months getting the team ready. 

"God brought me here personally, and I thank him for it," said Garces.

There are perhaps four to five teams on the island who compete for a title, but they are amateur players and most work as fishermen. The local spiny lobsters are a particular delicacy, but harvesting them does make time for football hard to find.

Nevertheless, the cup sparked tournament fever on the island and the launching of the club's Instagram presence in late February has brought this remarkable story to the world.

"Meet Hernan Retamales, master of the sea and goal. His skills at sea and on the field are indisputable!" reads the caption under a video introduction of Retamales.

"Meet Pedro Calderon, an experienced fisherman and dedicated councilor, now shining in our team's frontline!"

Another reads: "Fredy Arredondo, only 16 years old, the youngest talent on our team! A student and central midfielder, he shows maturity and skill on every play and the future of the team is in good hands."

It seems the whole country's football community became captivated by this meeting, with Chile's former national goalkeeper Luis Marín gifting goalkeeping gloves to the two keepers.

More than a game

Reportedly, 150 journalists and associate league members came to the island this weekend. It meant that help from the Chilean navy was required, accomodations, which are limited, were also booked out. Wherever people stayed, barking dogs likely accompanied them through the night.

Traveling to remote islands for football games is not as rare as it seems. In France's domestic cup competition, overseas teams affiliated to the French Football Federation from territories such as Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Tahiti have all competed in the preliminary rounds, with some traveling thousands of kilometers to play.

But there is no denying that a boat trip to Robinson Crusoe Island to play in the first round of the cup is something unique. Although an upset did not materialize, Chile's cup competition has had its fair share of surprise results, perhaps none more famous than in 2008, when third-division side Deportes Ovalle made the final before narrowly losing.

Beyond its lobster and the scuba diving, the island is looking to change its image in the world. The fixture alone has begun to do that, and even though this group of fishermen, students and council members didn't win on Sunday, what a bit of history they have altready written for their community.

In the Robinson Crusoe novel, Defoe famously wrote: "it is never too late to be wise." On this remote island in the Pacific, it turns out it is never too late to dream either.

Edited by: James Thorogood

There is a reason mountaineers on Everest call the passage through the Khumbu Icefall from the western slope the "ballroom of death." A mighty glacier hangs like a sword of Damocles, threatening the route and making for tricky climbing.

Acidents there are frequent. Ten years ago, on 18 April 2014, an ice avalanche broke loose there. Sixteen Nepalese mountaineers, who were carrying equipment for commercial expeditions to the high camps, died in the accident.

Since then, the "Icefall Doctors" — a group of Sherpas who specialize in icefall — have been trying to place the route to Everest's summit as far away from the western slope as possible. This spring, however, climate change forced them back into the "ballroom of death."

There was simply no alternative. Two attempts to find a less risky route had failed. The snowless winter in Nepal had led to unstable ice towers and snow bridges in the icy labyrinth. In addition, crevasses had formed that were so wide that they could not be crossed with ladders.

Every year, the Icefall Doctors set up the route through the dangerous icefall, secure it with ropes and maintain it during the climbing season until the end of May. Only when the route up to Camp Two at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) has been completed can the commercial teams ascend. Time was of the essence. Around ten days later than planned, the eight Sherpas finally announced that they were ready. However, the Icefall Doctors warned that there were at least five dangerous spots that should be passed as quickly as possible. The whole endeavor is reminiscent of Russian roulette.

Mountain is 'more dynamic'

Last winter, two passes over 5,800 meters high in the Everest region were completely snow-free. This is "worrying," says Nepalese glaciologist Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa.

"The data shows that the number of snow days, the amount of snow and the snow cover are decreasing — a negative trend. These 'naked' passes and mountains illustrate what is happening," said Sherpa.

The glaciers are melting faster and faster, becoming thinner and shorter. Larger glacial lakes are forming and their natural dams are threatening to burst. That happened this week on Manaslu, the eighth largest mountain in the world. The subsequent tidal wave, however, caused only material damage.

More and more pools of meltwater are also forming in the valley at the foot of Everest. Up to the summit at 8,849 meters, snow and ice are retreating. The result: Increased risk of falling rocks and, because it is getting warmer, a higher chance of avalanches. "Many people lose their lives in avalanches. The mountain is becoming more and more dynamic," warns glaciologist Sherpa.

20% fewer permits

"The current difficulties at the Khumbu Icefall to get to the higher camps could have an impact on the entire season and could possibly be the harbinger of a major disaster on Everest," fears Norrdine Nouar.

The German mountaineer from the Allgäu region has just climbed — without bottled oxygen — the 8,091 meter Annapurna in western Nepal, his second eight-thousander. Now he wants to attempt the highest mountain on earth without a breathing mask.

"I really hope that we don't break last year's sad record of deaths on Everest again," the 36-year-old told the blog "Abenteuer Berg" ("Mountain Adventure").

In spring 2023, 18 people — six Nepalese and 12 clients of commercial teams — lost their lives on Mount Everest, more than ever before in one season. However, the Nepalese government had also never issued so many permits for Everest: 478. This year, the number of permits is a good 20% lower compared to the same time in 2023.

This may or may not indicate a decline in interest in Everest. On the one hand, it could be due to the fact that many Everest candidates are now pre-acclimatising at home in hypoxia tents and therefore arriving later. On the other hand, the fact that the highest mountain on earth can be climbed from the Tibetan north side for the first time in four years may also play a role.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese authorities had closed Tibet's mountains to foreign expeditions. Teams that want to climb Everest from the north this spring are still waiting for their entry permits into Tibet. According to reports, the border will not be opened until May 7. The Everest season on the north side ends on 1 June. Chinese authorities have capped the number of permits at 300. Climbs without bottled oxygen are prohibited above an altitude of 7,000 meters.

Tracking chips and poo bags

There are also new regulations on the southern Nepalese side. All mountaineers must now have electronic tracking chips sewn into their down jackets. These are intended to facilitate rescue searches should someone go missing on the mountain. The system has proven its worth in avalanche searches in the Alps. However, experts doubt that it can also increase safety in the summit area of Mount Everest. According to Lukas Furtenbach, head of the Austrian expedition provider Furtenbach Adventures, the range of the system is significantly reduced in the event of ice avalanches.

"It would be better if the [mountain] guides didn't leave their clients alone," says Furtenbach. "Then the problem would be solved."

This year, for the first time, it is also compulsory for climbers to take excrement bags up the mountain, use them and bring them back down again. The poo bags have been specially developed for outdoor use and can be sealed tightly. Their inside is coated with a mixture of gelling agents, enzymes and odour-neutralizing substances. These ensure that feces are sealed in the bag and odor is reduced.

The Nepalese environmental protection organization Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), which is responsible for the managment of the Everest base camp and also employs the Icefall Doctors, is tasked with ensuring that the rule is adhered to. The SPCC estimates that between Camp One at 6,100 meters and Camp Four on the South Col at just under 8,000 meters, there is a total of around three tons of human excrement — half of it at the South Col, the last camp before the summit of Mount Everest. As the snow cover is increasingly disappearing, it literally stinks to high heaven, threatening to turn the South Col into a "ballroom of feces."

This article was originally published in German.

What is the function of the cruciate ligament?

There is an anterior and a posterior cruciate ligament in both knees. They connect the femur to the tibia and stabilize the knee joint forwards and backwards, as well as during rotational movements. In addition to the cruciate ligaments, there are the medial and lateral collateral ligaments and the menisci [crescent-shaped cartilage discs between the lower and upper thigh bones].

All ligaments together limit the extension of the knee so that it is not overstretched under normal circumstances. They also restrict the rotation of the knee joint and are supported by the joint capsule, tendons and surrounding muscles. The better the stabilizing muscles are developed, the lower the risk of suffering a cruciate ligament rupture.

How does a cruciate ligament rupture occur?

If the cruciate ligaments are overloaded by a sudden twisting movement, hyperextension or bending the knee to the side, they can tear partially or completely. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is affected ten times more frequently than the posterior cruciate ligament because it is longer and thinner. Most cruciate ligament tears are so-called non-contact injuries. This means that they occur without external influence or direct contact with the opponent, for example during a foul in football.

Landing on one leg, abrupt stops and sudden changes of direction are the most common causes of a rupture. The patient usually feels a stabbing pain in the knee. It usually swells in the hours following the injury because the tear causes fluid to collect in the joint.

What are the consequences?

The knee can usually no longer be moved well due to pain and swelling, and can only be bent slightly. Pain occurs when weight is placed on it. In addition, the knee joint is unstable due to the lack of function of the ligaments — it slips like a drawer when walking. In many cases, the cruciate ligament is not the only structure in the knee that has been damaged. The outer and inner ligaments, menisci and bones can also be affected.

In rare cases, however, a cruciate ligament may tear without the patient realising it. Such cruciate ligament ruptures often only become apparent later due to damage to the menisci or cartilage in the knee.

How are cruciate ligament ruptures treated?

A torn cruciate ligament is treated either surgically or conservatively. During surgery, also known as cruciate ligament plastic surgery, the torn parts of the cruciate ligament are removed and replaced with a transplant made from the body's own tendon material. However, there are also transplants made from donor material or synthetic material. The operation is usually not performed until weeks or even months after the injury until the swelling has subsided and the knee can move well again.

In conservative treatment, the knee is initially immobilised for several weeks and stabilized with a splint. If the ends of the torn cruciate ligament are still in close contact with each other, in rare cases the cruciate ligament can even grow back together on its own. However, this does not usually work with the anterior cruciate ligament. The chances are greater with the posterior cruciate ligament, which is shorter and more compact. Conservative treatment always includes targeted training of the muscles around the knee.They should stabilize the knee and thus take over the function of the missing cruciate ligament.

What are the long-term consequences of a cruciate ligament rupture?

Cruciate ligament ruptures can subsequently lead to altered statics in the knee joint, and thus to incorrect loading. This applies to both operated and untreated cruciate ligament ruptures, although the risk is higher in untreated cases. The load on the menisci and joint cartilage increases, which can lead to tears in the meniscus as well as osteoarthritis, the irreversible degradation of the cartilage surfaces in the knee joint that protect the joint. In the worst case scenario, an artificial knee joint will eventually be necessary.

Why do women have a higher risk of suffering a cruciate ligament rupture?

Anatomically, genetically and hormonally, women have less favourable conditions for ligament health. Because they have a wider pelvis, women tend to have a knock-kneed posture, which favours a cruciate ligament rupture if the knee is subjected to the corresponding force. The female musculature is generally weaker than the male musculature, meaning that the stabilizing function is also less strong.

Hormones also play a role: in the second half of the menstrual cycle, the sex hormone progesterone softens the ligaments in the female body and the risk of cruciate ligaments increases. Overall, the risk for women is around twice as high as for men.

How long are you out for with a cruciate ligament rupture?

This depends on the severity of the other injuries to the knee joint and the type of sport you play. In the case of a pure cruciate ligament rupture without involvement of other ligaments, bones or menisci, it usually takes six to nine months before you are able to compete again. Normally, there is nothing to stop you returning to sport after a healed cruciate ligament rupture.

With appropriate physiotherapy, you can train on a bicycle ergometer or go swimming about six weeks after the operation. Sports that do not involve sudden changes of direction and high force exerted by jumping and landing, such as running, swimming and cycling, can be resumed after six months. In team sports such as football and basketball, as well as tennis and alpine skiing, it usually takes two to three months longer to make a comeback. The psychological component also plays a major role as it takes time for patients to trust their healed knee again.

Can you play competitive sport without cruciate ligaments?

This is certainly possible in swimming, running, cycling or other sports with less stress on the knees, but is not recommended for sports with high knee stress. Former footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic played with a torn cruciate ligament for six months in 2022, and although he won the Italian championship with AC Milan, he was barely able to train and only played a few minutes at a time. He underwent surgery at the end of the season.

Former Germany goalkeeper Toni Schumacher suffered a torn cruciate ligament at the age of 18 before his professional career, but Schumacher decided against an operation. He played his entire career (1973 to 1996) with a ‘wobbly knee', but paid for this decision with severe consequential damage and pain, which significantly reduced his quality of life after his career.

This article was translated from German.

Another possible major doping scandal is shaking world sport less than 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris on July 26.

What happened?

According to research by the doping investigations team at German broadcaster ARD and the US newspaper, The New York Times, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at a swimming competition in January, 2021 in Shijiazhuang, the capital of the northern Chinese province of Hebei.

However, the Chinese anti-doping agency, CHINADA, did not classify the results as specific suspected cases and the participants were allowed to continue competing. The reason, according to CHINADA, was that there were low concentrations of the drug and fluctuating values. An official statement from CHINADA said the Chinese swimmers were victims of "mass contamination" in the kitchen of the team hotel. 

The ARD doping investigation team had the Chinese version of events recreated and tested in an experiment in a German laboratory. The result: it could have happened as CHINADA described, but it is extremely unlikely. It is more likely that the active participants had already taken the doping substance weeks before.

Which swimmers are we talking about?

The 23 athletes in question belonged to China's national swimming team, some of whom are now among the world's elite. Three of them won gold at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo: Zhang Yufei became a double Olympic champion (women's 200 meter butterfly and 4x200 meter freestyle relay), Wang Shun won individual gold (men's 200 meter individual medley), and Yang Junxuan won relay gold (women's 4x200 meter freestyle relay). Qin Haiyang, a four-time world champion in 2023, was also affected.

Three of the athletes who tested positive were still minors at the time of the doping control testing in Shijiazhuang. Two of them — then 15-years-old — later became relay world champions: Wang Yichun in 2023 and Yu Yiting in 2024.

Which doping substance is it?

Trimetazidine is an active ingredient used in medicines against heart disease. For athletes, it is considered a performance-enhancing drug. Trimetazidine has been listed as a banned substance by WADA since 2014. It is used as a doping substance primarily in endurance and strength sports.

In 2014, Chinese swimming star Sun Yang, a double Olympic champion at London 2012, tested positive for trimetazidine and was banned for three months. The doping scandal involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was only 15-years-old at the time at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, also involved trimetazidine. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport retroactively banned Valieva for four years in 2024. Russia lost the gold medal in the team competition because the young figure skater was part of the winning team at the time.

Did WADA do all it could to investigate?

Normally, athletes who are suspected of doping are immediately suspended until the allegations are clarified. In this particular case, however, the Chinese athletes were allowed to compete. WADA said it was informed of the matter by CHINADA in June, 2021, and had "carefully reviewed" it for several weeks. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, WADA was unable to carry out its investigation on site in China. 

In the end, WADA says it was unable to refute the theory of mass contamination in the team hotel and stated "that it was compatible with the analytical data in the file." The athletes, WADA determined, could not be accused of "any fault or negligence."

In its own words, even after the ARD-New York Times reports, WADA "remains committed to the results of its scientific investigation and the legal decisions in this case" and does not see sufficient evidence to initiate a new investigation. WADA reserved the right to take legal action against the media involved because of "misleading information."

In the meantime, however, the World Anti-Doping Agency has called for an independent prosecutor to investigate its handling of the incidents. In addition, the global supervisory authority has announced that it will send a "compliance team" to China to assess "the current status of the country's anti-doping programme". Of course, this is not an admission of guilt. 

"We continue to reject the false allegations and are pleased that we can place these issues in the hands of an experienced, respected and independent prosecutor", said WADA President Witold Banka in a statement. Former Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier is to investigate the incidents and will be given "full and unrestricted" access to all files and documents relating to the case.

How did the sports world react?

Travis Tygart, head of the US anti-doping agency USADA, speaks in the ARD documentary of "shocking revelations" and a "knife in the back of all clean athletes." He accuses WADA and CHINADA of sweeping the positive tests under the carpet and says that the competing athletes should have been suspended, at least temporarily.

The athlete representatives of the organizations "Global Athlete" and "Fair Sport" see it the same way and are calling for rapid clarification. If the allegations are true, it would be "another catastrophic failure of the global anti-doping system and underscores the need to dismantle the WADA structure," the two organizations said in a joint statement.

Germany's Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is responsible for sports in Germany, also believes WADA need to do more.

"A few months before the Olympic Games, the suspicion of turning a blind eye, or even covering things up, must be clarified as quickly as possible," said the Social Democrat. Christian Hansmann, competitive sports director of the German Swimming Association (DSV), spoke of "worrying" news from China and called for "consequences, if necessary — this is the only way the integrity of the sport can be preserved."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the ARD report as "fake news." There was "neither fault nor negligence," it stated.

What the case means for Paris 2024

As long as WADA refuses to initiate new investigations and thus admit a justified suspicion of doping, all 23 affected Chinese swimmers will theoretically be able take part in the Paris Games.

The Chinese national swimming championships are taking place in the city of Shenzhen until Saturday, April 27. Not only are national titles being awarded, but also the tickets for the 2024 Olympics.

This article was adapted from German.

World Athletics seems to have poked a hornet's nest, with the federation's recent decision to pay athletes bonuses for Olympic medals sparking global debate.  Last week, the governing body of athletics announced that it would pay $50,000 (€46,800) for victories in each of the 48 athletics disciplines at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris (July 26 to August 11).

The organization said there will also be bonuses for silver and bronze at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. This is the first time in the 128-year history of the modern Olympic Games that a world federation of a single sport has offered bonuses for Olympic performances.

"I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. Such sentiment from Coe, who won gold in the 1,500 meters at the 1980 and 1984 Games medal, risks ruffling the feathers of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as well as the governing bodies of other sports.

Cycling, through its body the UCI, has already responded. "The Olympic spirit is to share revenues and have more athletes compete worldwide," its president David Lappartient said. "Not only put all the money on the top athletes but spread the money. If we concentrate money on top athletes, a lot of opportunities will disappear for athletes all over the world."

Disparity between sports

The IOC's model relies on solidarity. All but 10% of the revenue from the Olympic Games goes to organizations of the Olympic Movement — primarily to the world federations of the sports and the National Olympic Committees. The IOC uses the rest to pay for its administration and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, the IOC distributed around $540 million dollars (€505 million) to 28 world federations. World Athletics received the most: almost $40 million. At the bottom of the list were the world associations for taekwondo, golf and rugby, with just under $13 million each. In other words, a financial disparity between the sports already exists.

It is a disparity highlighted by Great Britain's rowing legend, Steve Redgrave. "Most of the other sports won't be able to follow this. You're making this into a two-tier process," he told the Daily Mail. 

The ITF, which governs tennis, followed a similar theme of collaboration in response to questions from DW. The tennis federation made it clear that it would only change its approach, if at all, in consultation with the IOC and ASOIF - the alliance of federations represented at the Summer Games. 

"The opportunity to compete for the prestige of an Olympic medal has always been a unique and special incentive for players to take part in the Games. If a change to this was to be considered in the future, any decision would be made in consultation with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and the International Olympic Committee." 

FIBA (the basketball federation) would say only that it "has no plans to introduce [Olympic] prize money in basketball."

It seems that the IOC, the world sports federations and the National Olympic Committees were all surprised by the initiative of Coe and his organization. "They create a problem because now other sports are clearly going to get some scrutiny or even pressure from athletes saying 'well what about our sport, how can this sport do it and not us?'," said British Olympic CEO Andy Anson.

Basketball player Johannes Herber, managing director of Germany's association of athletes, Athleten Deutschland, felt the move to pay athletes for medals would act as "wake-up call for the IOC and the other world federations to finally give athletes a share of the income they generate." But the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) reacted a little more calmly. It is "the responsibility of the world athletics federation how it distributes the income it receives from the IOC", said the umbrella organization of German sport.

Bonuses on top

The DOSB backed the German Sports Aid Foundation's awarding of bonuses to athletes who finished in first to eighth place at the Olympic Games. Sporthilfe, which is financed by public funds, donations, lottery income and charity events, has been supporting German athletes for over 50 years. According to its own figures, it will distribute around €23 million in 2024, more than ever before. There will be €20,000 for gold in Paris, €15,000 for silver and €10,000 for bronze. Even eighth place will get €1500. This applies to all sports.

"The Sporthilfe bonuses also apply to track and field athletes - regardless of whether they are rewarded for their success by associations, private sponsors or other third parties," Sporthilfe said in response to a DW inquiry. In other words, German athletics winners at Paris 2024 could double up, with €50,000 gold bonus from World Athletics and a top up €20,000 from Sporthilfe to sweeten the deal.

This article was adapted from German with controbutions from Jonathan Crane.

Though he has yet to lead Germany in a competitive match, Julian Nagelsmann has won a contract extension with the German Football Association (DFB).

The former Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig coach, 36, has been in charge since September 2023 and led his team to victories over France and the Netherlands in his most recent matches. As hosts of Euro 2024, Germany have only played friendlies since Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick. As such, his first meaningful match will be the Euro 2024 opener against Scotland in Munich on June 14.

The Bavarian city is twice implicated, as Bayern Munich's reported interest in re-hiring Nagelsmann, after they sacked him in March 2023, was arguably the catalyst for his contract extension with the national team.

Tournament failures mounting up

"This is a decision made with the heart. It is a great honour to coach the national team and work with the best players in the country," Nagelsmann said, in a statement released by the DFB.

“With a successful, passionate performance we have the chance to carry an entire country with us. The enthusiasm of the fans has touched me a lot. We now want to play a successful Euros at home and after that, myself and my team are very much looking forward to the challenge of the World Cup." 

The German national team has struggled in recent years, exiting the last two World Cups at the group stage and the previous Euros in the last 16. As a result, 2014 World Cup winning coach Joachim Löw and then Flick, who won the Champions League with Bayern, paid the price.

DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said extending Nagelsmann's deal offers security. "It is a strong signal for the DFB and the national team that Julian Nagelsmann will remain head coach beyond the home Euros because he was on the list of many big clubs across Europe.

"But the national team is for Julian Nagelsmann more than just a job, it's a real matter of the heart. Now we have security in planning, and everyone can focus entirely on a successful performance at the Euros"

Bayern left to look elsewhere

But, in a warning that the DFB chose not to heed, Löw was given a new deal just months before the 2018 World Cup, in which Germany crashed out after shock losses to South Korea and Mexico.

Nagelsmann and his bosses will be hoping for a different outcome this time, with Germany also set to face Hungary and Switzerland in a home tournament that many believe will be critical for the future of football in the country.

Though Germany are happy to keep their man, the news is seen as a blow to Bayern. Thomas Tuchel will depart at the end of the season and, having already seen Xabi Alonso opt to stay at Leverkusen, the dethroned Bundesliga champions are rapidly revising their shortlist.

Edited by: Kalika Mehta

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

Despite all the talk of the English Premier League's seemingly bottomless riches and the Bundesliga struggling to compete financially, two German sides are in the men's Champions League semifinals and England's finest are instead licking their wounds.

"I don't think anyone thought we'd progress against Arsenal," admitted Bayern Munich President Herbert Hainer after their quarterfinal triumph.

Bayern will face Real Madrid on April 30 and May 8, while Borussia Dortmund take on Paris Saint-Germain on May 1 and May 7 for a place in the Wembley final on June 1, where UEFA bosses probably expected an English side to help supplement the atmosphere.

Yet it could be two German teams in the final, just like the last time the game was hosted in London in 2013, when Bayern edged Dortmund 2-1. Since then, 2020 was the only year the Bundesliga had two sides in the last four and no English team featured. Then, too, Bayern took the title — the last of their six European Cups.

That was a unique season due to the coronavirus pandemic, where the quarters, semis and final were all held in Portugal as one-off matches with no fans.

German teams beating English sides to the men's Champions League last four is a rarity rather than the norm. So, what are the reasons for Bayern's and Dortmund's success this season after Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United all fell by the wayside?

Too distracted

The most obvious reason is that the English teams were too distracted by the Premier League title race, whereas Bayern and Dortmund had long given up hope in the Bundesliga amid Bayer Leverkusen's incredible season, so could concentrate more on the Champions League.

Bayern beat Arsenal 1-0 in their home quarterfinal after a 2-2 draw in London. The Gunners' focus and energy was, to some extent, elsewhere. The games for Arsenal came among crunch Premier League clashes, which included a surprise 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa that hit their domestic title chances.

Bayern, meanwhile, have all their eggs in one basket, the Champions League being their last hope of a trophy in Thomas Tuchel's final few weeks in charge. Tuchel wants his legacy to be a Champions League triumph rather than just being the Bayern coach who finally surrendered the Bundesliga after 11 seasons. He was desperate to beat Arsenal, and it showed in the way he celebrated the win.

"It means a lot to me. It's an important step. Semifinals, last four," Tuchel, who won Europe's premier club competition with Chelsea in 2021, told reporters.

More English churn

Chelsea might have won the European title three years ago, and Man City last term, but some of this season's Premier League entrants were not as au fait with the Champions League as perennial qualifiers Bayern and Dortmund.

Manchester United, who went out in the group phase, have been in and out of the competition in recent seasons, with the glory years under Sir Alex Ferguson long gone.

Newcastle's inexperience helped Dortmund top their group, while Bayern profited from having greater Champions League know-how than Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal boss, said: "We haven't played in the competition for seven years; we haven't been in this position for 14 years."

"Fast forward, super quick in one season, and we had the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final, [but we are not] because the margins have been very small," he added. "Those margins sometimes are coming from something that maybe we don't have yet."

End of away goals rule

This season's quarterfinals also demonstrated how teams have begun to play differently in the knockout stages following the abolition of the away goals rule by UEFA, boosting the two German sides and hampering the English.

Had the rule still been in place, Arsenal could possibly have been more attacking at the Allianz Arena following a 2-2 draw in the first leg in London.  Dortmund, meanwhile, had to go for goals against Atletico Madrid, with their away goal from the first leg counting for little.

After drawing 3-3 at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid would previously have been aware that a lower scoring home draw for Manchester City would have sent Pep Guardiola's side through in the second leg. Instead, Los Blancos could afford to sit back, knowing that a draw could eventually lead to a penalty shootout which they won. 

"They defended deeper than previous seasons," City's Pep Guardiola said. "They did it better than us."

UEFA coefficients

Another plus point for the German sides eclipsing the English is the race for an extra Champions League spot in next season's revamped competition, which will increase to 36 teams in one big league.

To make up the extra numbers, the two best performing domestic leagues in Europe get an extra wide berth, each using a complicated statistics called coefficients.

Italy looks likely to snatch one spot, with Germany battling England for the other. Bayern or Dortmund going on to win the Champions League should secure the Bundesliga a fifth spot, and if Dortmund end up finishing fifth in the German top flight but win the European Cup, a sixth place for Germany might also be up for grabs.

Leverkusen's victory in the Europa League quarterfinals over West Ham, coupled with Liverpool's exit from the competition, have added even further weight to the chances of Germany securing an extra spot in the premier European competition next season.

So much for a league supposedly significantly weaker than the powerful Premier League. 

Edited by: Kalika Mehta

Paris Olympic organizers have ambitious plans to hold the swimming sections of the triathlons and the marathon swimming events in the iconic River Seine, despite fears over the water quality.

The plan follows on from a string of controversies over water pollution that have hit sports which need open water rather than a chlorinated swimming pool, such as rowing, triathlon, sailing, surfing and marathon swimming.

The French capital region is spending €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to try to clean up the river after complaints from swimmers in warm-up events over potential sewage levels. Some test events were even canceled.

Persistent heavy rainfall causes locals canals to overflow, meaning waste water enters the river and increases the concentration of bacteria. Money is being spent on special pumps and so-called catch basins to prevent sewage reaching the Seine.

But a leading expert at Oxford University told DW that even stopping sewage getting into the river is not necessairly enough to make the water safe for swimming.

"It is widely advised not to swim in...inland waters for several days after (heavy) rain. This is due to the potential for sewer overflows, but also increased risk from animal feces being washed into the water. This might include dog and cat poo," said Dr. Katrina Charles, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment. 

"Even without sewer overflows you would have an increase in contamination and health risk after heavy rain," she said.

Revert to being a duathlon

A big deluge generally happens only four or five times a year in Paris and Olympic organizers hope the summer weather during the July and August Games prevents any issues.

But if a deluge did happen, the marathon (also called open water) swimming and triathlon competitions would have to be postponed or canceled. Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said the triathlon could even revert to being a duathlon, with just cycling and running, if the worst happens.

"We can postpone for rainy conditions. Because it's programmed at the beginning of the Games, we can wait for better conditions. So we're confident it will be possible to use the Seine," he told reporters recently. "And there is a final decision where we could not swim. It is part of the rules of the international federation. It's what we want to avoid of course."

E-coli, a bacteria found in human waste, is the big problem in the Seine according to water pollution charity Surfrider Europe.

It is not a new problem for the Olympic sports which need open water. Rowing and canoeing often use purpose-built courses, where pollution can be more easily managed, at Games  but triathlon, marathon swimming and to a lesser degree sailing and surfing are a challenge. The surfing in "Paris" will take place 15,700 kilometers (9,755 miles) away in Tahiti and the sailing in Marseille.

At the Rio 2016 Games, a long-term study by Associated Press found waterways such as those off Copacabana beach were contaminated with raw human sewage including dangerous viruses and bacteria. Swimmers took antibiotics to avoid illness and evidence of actual sickness after the Games was scant, although one Belgian sailor did report ill health.

But as Paris is proving, the issue is not confined to the likes of Brazil, but mature developed Western nations. 

High rainfall

Britain's illustrious University Boat Races, where Oxford and Cambridge universities battle it out in rowing on London's River Thames rather than a man-made course, were marred this year by research revealing high levels of E.coli in the river.

Lenny Jenkins said he and several of the losing Oxford crew were ill on the morning of the event following training sessions on the Thames.

"This is in no way to take away from Cambridge — we've had a few guys go down pretty badly with the E.coli strain," he told reporters. "I was throwing up and I wasn't sure if there was going to be a chance of me being in the boat but I ultimately kept that quiet and that's on my shoulders."

Cambridge were advised not to throw any team mamber into Thames water, as traditionally happens with the cox, who guides the boat from the front. The local water company, Thames Water, was pilloried in the British media amid reports the firm has allowed around 72 billion litres of sewage into the river since 2020.

The company, which is in financial difficulty, blamed high rainfall for the state of London's storied river.

Rowers and sailors can limit the health risk by wearing special gloves to avoid contaminated splashes from the water, but swimming through dirty water with your mouth open is a whole different battle.

England's biggest lake, Windermere, is a popular spot for sports and an annual triathlon takes place there in June. Windermere also has a problem with untreated sewage and Hollywood actor Steve Coogan joined a recent protest against local water firm United Utilities.

Chris Matthews, from United Utilities, told Britain's ITV: "We are taking this problem extremely seriously as part of a huge investment program."    

Paris has similarly invested huge amounts to make its open water swimming events safe, but it might not be enough.

"There will always be an increase of pathogens in river water after rainfall," Oxford's Dr. Charles said.

Edited by: Matt Pearson

On Tuesday, the Olympic flame was lit in the ancient ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia in southwestern Greece. It will now make its way to Paris, where the Summer Olympic Games are due to open on July 26.

Until the closing ceremony on August 11, 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete at Paris 2024 in 32 disciplines.

The French government has said that security will be the top priority during the event. Some 45,000 police and gendarme officers will be deployed every day, as well as 18,000 soldiers and 20,000 private security guards.

In addition, more than 2,000 foreign police officers, including from Germany, will be helping to keep guard.

Macron: 'We can do it'

France increased its security alert to its highest level after an attack by Islamist terrorists in Moscow at the end of March left more than 140 people dead.

Providing security for the opening ceremony alone will be a huge logistical challenge: 160 boats carrying athletes are due to sail six kilometers (3.78 miles) along the Seine River. More than 300,000 spectators are expected.

"We can do it and we are going to do it," French President Emmanuel Macron insists.  But he has also admitted that there are back-up plans in place should the security threat become too acute. These would include holding the opening ceremony in a stadium.

Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and concerns about a further escalation of the situation in the Middle East have exacerbated fears of a security threat.

Despite this, eight of the 10 million available tickets for the 2024 Summer Olympics have already been sold and some 15 million spectators are expected.

Parisians not looking forward

It will be a test for the French capital's infrastructure. Last autumn, Clement Beaune, who was France's transport minister at the time, described the plans to organize traffic as "hardcore." Security barriers and diversions will be abundant, particularly around the Eiffel Tower and the Place de la Concorde. Some metro stations will be closed.  

The price of metro tickets will be doubled during the Games. This is unlikely to increase the enthusiasm of Parisians for the event. In a recent poll, 44% said that they thought that Paris 2024 was a "bad thing."

Germany's team in Paris one of the biggest

The Olympic qualification period ends officially on June 23. The German Athletics Association (DLV) has made qualifying for Paris 2024 also dependent on performance at the European Athletics Championships taking place in Rome starting June 7.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has to register the German athletes competing in Paris 2024 by July 8. It expects 400 to participate, which would make Germany's "Team D" one of the biggest national teams.

In 2021, 415 Germans took part in the Games in the Japanese capital Tokyo, winning 10 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 16 bronze medals. It was the German team's worst haul since German reunification. The DOSB is hoping for better results this year. "I believe that Team D will play a good role, and that one or two surprises are possible," said sport director Olaf Tabor.

Belarusian and Russian athletes to compete as 'neutrals'

Last December, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in Paris 2024, but as "neutrals," and not as part of teams. They will be banned from attending the opening ceremony, and nobody who has actively shown support for the war in Ukraine will be allowed to compete at all. 

The Russian and Belarusian national anthems will not be played, and national symbols and flags will be prohibited.

According to the IOC, only 12 Russian athletes and five Belarusians have qualified for Paris 2024 so far, but the numbers could rise to 36 (Russia) and 22 (Belarus). In Tokyo, 330 Russians and 104 Belarusians competed. In an open letter to the IOC last week, Ukraine demanded the complete exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the Olympics.

The IOC has come under fire from various quarters over its decisions regarding Russia and Belarus. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the body had become "a place where neo-Nazism and racism flourish."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete was "shameful." He added that the IOC had essentially given Russia "the green light to weaponize the Olympics" because it would use athletes "as a weapon in its propaganda warfare." The Germany-based human rights organization Society for Threatened Peoples described IOC President Thomas Bach as a "dinosaur" who was incapable of learning.

At the lighting of the flame ceremony in Olympia, Bach repeated a message of hope: "Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. […] Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message: Yes, it is possible to compete fiercely against each other and at the same time live peacefully together under one roof."

Bach's term is due to end in 2025, but some IOC members have suggested changing the statutes so that he can continue as president for another four years. The 70-year-old has said he would rather wait until after Paris 2024 to make a decision on this.

This article was translated from German.

The jailing of 12 Shiite Muslim men in Saudi Arabia has highlighted the dangers for fans who want to travel for sporting events such as the World Cup, according to human rights campaigners and an exiled Saudi Shiite.

The men were summoned, along with more than 100 other fans, for questioning after being filmed singing a religious song celebrating the birth of Imam Ali, an important figure in the Shiite Muslim faith at a match between their team, Al Safa, and Al Bukiryah in January. Those 12 jailed have received sentences of either six months or a year, though with little oversight from international bodies of the Saudi prison or legal system, sentence lengths are not always respected.

The men were penalized under the kingdom's cybercrime laws, provisions of which are often used to punish those who commit supposed offences offine too. Many observers of Saudi Arabia consider these laws to be arbitrary, thereby allowing the state, ruled by de facto leader crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, to use them to clamp down on groups and beliefs which do not align with its own.

Freedom of expression under threat

"These laws have egregious sentences for basic freedom of expression issues," Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told DW. "Anything that can be interpreted as destabilizing the state or insulting the country's leaders can come with very big sentences that can be meted out. And, ultimately, it can be a political decision to decide which fans and which speech is cracked down upon. It's a really terrifying scenario."

In recent years, these laws have been used to hand out decades-long jail sentences, or even death sentences, for sending tweets deemed to be critical of the country's leadership.

In the case of the Al Safa fans, the offense appears to be celebrating their religion. The club is based in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, where most of the country's minority Shiite population is based. Shiites, as followers of that branch of Islam are known, have long been persecuted in Sunni majority Saudi Arabia and have no representation in positions of power. When Bin Salman came to power and promised to modernize the country, Shiites like Taha Alhajji hoped for an improvement in their circumstances.

"There was a period of optimism for the Shiite community that the situation would be better and would be less harsh on them, so they could practice their rituals," Alhajji, who now works as a lawyer in Germany after fleeing his homeland, told DW. "It is clear that the new government's approach is pretending to accept the others. But the reality is that it has imposed more and more severe restrictions, whether on religious rituals or on freedom of belief."

Human Rights organizations are unable to gain access to Saudi prisons but Shea said that accounts from those who have been released suggest the 12 men will face "general neglect and dire conditions” without access to medical care or contact with their families.

Sports ministry sack club board

Alhajji, who offers legal advice to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, said the men have the right to an appeal but, given the courts are effectively operated by the government, that is unlikely to succeed. He rejects the notion that they have comitted a criminal offense. "The chants did not contain any provocation, incitement, abuse, or aggression against any person," he said.

The Saudi authorities clearly disagree, and have sacked the entire board of Al Safa. In a statement, the country's sports ministry said the club had broken article 36/3 of its rulebook and committed "practices, or actions that are inconsistent with public order, public morals, or regulations" before adding that it would "refer them to the relevant authorities to take the necessary action." The likelihood is that they will replace them with representatives more favorable to the government, but there has yet to be any public announcement.

Saudi Arabia's huge investment in sport has turned the eyes of the world towards the oil-rich Gulf state. So far, most large sporting events have passed off without a hitch for the handful of international fans that travel. But the football World Cup, in 2034, is likely to be a bigger test. Fans used to total freedom of expression will travel in greater numbers, while players, coaches and administrators have also shown some willingness to take on politically sensitive topics, such as the rainbow armband or the German team's gesture of covering their mouths to draw attention to the lack of freedom of speech in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup. For Shea, this could lead to serious issues.

'Not safe to attend football matches'

"It is absolutely not safe to attend a football match in Saudi Arabia and express any form of political opinion that is not just uncritical support of Mohammed bin Salman," Shea said. "We just don't know how Saudi authorities will react when there are loads of foreigners visiting who are used to raising issues at football matches. I think that we very well may see more arrests, unfortunately, in the future."

Alhajji has similar concerns, adding that Saudi Arabia's lack of reporting and transparency means the breadth of persecution of minorities or dissidents remains unknown: "Everyone must be careful, as they may be at risk of arrest because of their clothing, appearance, a word they said, a stance they took, or raising a slogan or flag."

World Cup organizer FIFA says it is "committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights," but Alhajji said the organization are putting no pressure on Saudi Arabia to change. It is unclear whether the imprisonment of an international fan, rather than Saudi Shiites, might yet force its hand.

Edited by: Mark Meadows

The record-breaker was vintage Caitlin Clark: a 3-point shot from such a long-distance that it's known as a "logo shot” because she is beyond even the extended mid-court logo of the arena at the University of Iowa. The shot was slightly off-balance, but swished through and sent all of those recording the moment on their mobile phones into a state of delirium.

"I don't know if you could script it any better," Clark said. "Just to do it in this fashion, I'm very grateful and thankful to be surrounded by so many people who have been my foundation in everything I've done since I was a young little girl. Y'all knew I was going to shoot the logo 3 for the record, c'mon now."

"It was absolutely perfect," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said, "for her to go over and reach this record with a logo 3."

The record in question was to become the all-time women's career scoring leader in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history. After a timeout to mark the moment, Clark continued her hot hand finishing with a school-record 49 points on nine 3-pointers, and with 13 assists. Iowa, the fourth-ranked team in the country, defeated rival Michigan, 106-89.

No.1 Pick

Clark's huge night in February put her at a record 3,569 points in her four-year career. Among those offering congratulations on her record on social media were former president Barack Obama and well-known former American football players Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and his brother, Eli Manning.

In April, Clark was chosen as the number one pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. It was no surprise as the former Iowa star has become a household name among basketball fans and she is now tasked with reviving the Fever's fortunes.

Olympics on the horizon

After the much-watched NCAA ‘March Madness' tournament, Clark is now set to play her first professional game in mid-May when the league's season begins. 

It is also possible, despite her youth, she could be invited to the next Team USA pre-Olympic camp with a good chance she could display her prowess before a global audiencein Paris starting in late July. 

The 21-year old could prove an extraordinary asset to the US side, which has won seven consecutive Olympic gold medals.

Clark's 3-point success percentage, even including the logo bombs from more than 35 feet, or 10.6 meters, is over 40 percent in the season just finished, and has hovered in that range during all four years of her university career. For comparison, WNBA star Kelsey Plum, whose career scoring record Clark broke, has a career 3-point success rate of over 39 percent. NBA 3-point ace Stephen Curry owns a career success rate of over 42 percent.

Clark is the face of women's basketball, and is expected to quickly become a star in the quicker and more physical professional ranks. Whether at the Paris Games in 2024, or in 2028 and 2032, she is likely to became a known commodity internationally, if not an outright global star. 

Editing by: Mark Meadows

The Commonwealth Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event featuring nations that were formerly part of the British Empire, is in trouble.

In April 2022, the Australian state of Victoria was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 edition, when over 70 nations were expected to participate. But just over a year later, it backed out. Organizers have not found it easy to find a replacement. Even if the next games go ahead, there are doubts as to whether it can survive into the second half of the century.

Perhaps it is impressive that it has lasted this long. Starting life as the British Empire Games in 1930 and eventually becoming the Commonwealth Games in 1970, the 22nd edition of the event in 2022, held in the English city of Birmingham, saw over 5,000 athletes compete for 280 gold medals across 20 sports.

The 2026 games should have been even bigger, and, certainly, it seemed as if the €900-million ($956.6-million) bill that Birmingham faced would have been larger in Australia. With costs rising significantly from the initial €1.6 billion, Daniel Andrews, Victoria's state premier, announced the state's withdrawal in July 2023.

Is hosting the Commonwealth Games worth it?

It can be difficult to assess whether the financial benefits of hosting a major sporting event outweigh the costs, but in uncertain economic times, it is not surprising that governments are thinking twice. Only the Scottish city of Glasgow, which hosted in 2014, has shown any public interest in hosting even a slimmed-down version of the competition.

The Games may not be as daunting to stage or expensive as the Olympics but there is a flip-side to that equation.  "The  Commonwealth Games is much more low-key,” Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at the Skema Business School in Paris, told DW. "It doesn't offer commercial partners the same level of value, nor does it deliver broadcast audiences of the same magnitude as the Olympics."

After Australia's withdrawal, Malaysia was offered the chance to stage the Games for the first time since 1998 but refused to do so.

"The answer is pretty obvious, given the current economic climate, the rising cost of living and weak Malaysian Ringgit  [currency]," Haresh Deol, Editor of TwentyTwo13, an independent media organization in Malaysia, told DW, adding that the offer of €117 million in support from the Commonwealth Games Federation was not enough to make a difference. He also cited a lack of time and other sporting priorities as other factors. "Also, it's barely two years away, and Malaysia has another multi-sporting event that it has to host, the 2027 SEA [Southeast Asia] Games.”

Deol believes that most people supported the decision. "It's safe to say Malaysians would prefer more pressing measures to be addressed. Also, the government did not publicize any justification or information regarding the opportunities from hosting the event."

The Taylor Swift effect

Neighboring Singapore performed a feasibility study to determine whether it should step in but decided against it. Gerard Wong, former sports editor of Today newspaper, was not surprised. The Commonwealth Games has to compete with other events that are cheaper, easier to stage, and more prestigious.

"When it comes to staging major events, Singapore authorities are very driven about ensuring a massive bang for their buck," Wong told DW.  "They gave Taylor Swift a grant to stage her concerts here exclusively in March for six nights and hit the jackpot." 

There are no official figures, but it seems that Swift received between $14 and $20 million in total for her six concerts, her only shows in Southeast Asia.  "All the concerts were 55,000 sell-outs, people were flying in from the region to watch, and hotel rates soared," added Wong.

According to reports, the concerts in March brought in between $260 to $375 million to the nation. "It's very hard to see the Commonwealth Games being able to do the same to compensate for all the preparations Singapore would have to make for hosting the event," said Wong. "Just as importantly, we got ourselves in the news in more positive ways."

Other competitions taking priority

While countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada still seem to see the event as an important part of their sporting calendar, the same can't be said of all Commonwealth members.

 "There was a time when competing at the Commonwealth Games was a big deal for Singapore, but I think our targets have changed," said Wong. "We started focusing our ambition more on the Asian Games and the Olympics. In the scheme of things, these two have become more aspirational than the Commonwealth Games." 

According to Deol, it is the same in Malaysia. "There are those who still remember Kuala Lumpur hosting the 1998 Commonwealth Games, but it's also a reminder of the colonial past, and as such, there's more interest in the Asian Games and Olympics."

As Deol suggests, the biggest issue may be what it represents: a British Empire that ceased to exist decades ago. 

History threatens future

"One of the Commonwealth Games' biggest problems is identifying and emphasizing why it exists and what its role is," said Chadwick. "In a post-colonial world that is pivoting from Global north to Global south, the event seems like an anachronism and out of kilter with the strong sense of national self-identity and pride that many Commonwealth countries now have."

While many nations of the Commonwealth still have strong links with the United Kingdom, Chadwick sees a need for change. "It carries with it associations with colonialism, oppression, and enslavement," he said, adding that it needs rebranding and repackaging if there is to be any survival.

Even that may not be enough. "I can't see a future," said Wong. "What are the Games but a celebration or reminder of a time of British colonialism? It's become a sporting relic and increasingly irrelevant competitively, and I won't be surprised if they cease to exist by 2040."

Edited by: Matt Pearson

Perennial contenders in German football, the Bundesliga title had always evaded Bayer Leverkusen, leading to the somewhat cruel "Neverkusen" nickname.

But this season, Xabi Alonso's team romped away with the league, mathematically sealing the title with five games to spare.

The team is yet to lose a league game all season, with 25 wins and four draws in 29 matches, while they're conceding less than a goal a game on average. 

How did they dispel more than a decade of Bayern Munich dominance? What was Xabi Alonso's impact from the dugout? What were the best images from Sunday's long overdue celebrations in the small city near Cologne? Check out our coverage here. 

The appointment of Xabi Alonso

Though the stunning unbeaten campaign of 2023-24 has captured global attention, Bayer Leverkusen's charge to a first Bundesliga title has its origins in a miserable start to the previous campaign. Gerardo Seoane, who had overseen a third-placed finish the season before, was gone by October 2022, having won just five points from the first eight games.

The subsequent appointment of Xabi Alonso, who had never coached a senior side before, was something of a risk, with Leverkusen in real danger of following other German heavyweights such as Schalke, Hamburg and Hertha Berlin into the second division.

"This shouldn't be viewed as an experiment for Leverkusen. It's not about experience, it's about quality," insisted sporting director Simon Rolfes on Alonso's appointment. "There's always an element of risk involved but you always have to improve. I'm absolutely convinced it will work out."

It's fair to say it did. After mixed results in his first month, Alonso's style started to come through. A system based on control of possession, width from wingbacks and a high press saw Leverkusen pick up 46 points from their last 24 games, qualify for the Europa League and confirm the cerebral former Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder as a coach to watch.

The recruitment

The sale of Moussa Diaby to Premier League side Aston Villa for €55 million (about $58 million) meant Rolfes had an opportunity to help Alonso build a squad in his image for this season. Nigeria striker Victor Boniface (€20.5 million) and experienced midfielders Jonas Hofmann (€10 million) and Granit Xhaka (€15 million) have been critical to Leverkusen's run. Boniface got them off to a flyer, scoring six in his first five games before injury, while Xhaka has added steel and presence to a midfield that lacked both, and featured in every game so far. Hofmann, always a canny operator, has played 26 games and links Leverkusen's midfield and attack.

But there’s little doubting the best value arrival, with Alex Grimaldo's free transfer from Benfica almost certainly the best deal any German club made this term. The Spaniard, another ever present in the league, has already scored nine and assisted 11 goals. The Barcelona youth product, in tandem with Dutchman Jeremie Frimpong, has offered width, set pieces and penetration that has proved impossible to handle for the rest of the league.

"I think that's one of my strengths in knowing where I can cause damage, knowing where the spaces are," Grimaldo told the Bundesliga in December. "With the freedom that Xabi has given me with the block we've got, it means I know how to attack the space and have the chances to score."

The improvement of key players

But it's not just the new boys. Frimpong, German internationals Jonathan Tah and Robert Andrich, Argentine central midfielder Exequiel Palacios and several others have all found a consistency they lacked under previous coaches.

Florian Wirtz is another case in point. Long regarded as one of Germany's brightest hopes, Wirtz was still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury that dashed his 2022 World Cup hopes when Alonso arrived. While his performances under Seaone had been good, the 20-year-old has moved up another notch now he's fully fit and firing under Alonso, scoring a treble as Leverkusen brushed aside Werder Bremen with a 5-0 win to seal the title on Sunday.

"The control, the play between the lines, in small spaces, this is something natural, and something I can't teach him," said the Spanish boss.

Wirtz is yet another Leverkusen man to have featured in every league game, demonstrating the consistency of selection and good fortune with injuries which have also marked their season. His eight goals and 11 assists are both career highs, and he is also now Germany's fastest ever men's international goal scorer. Europe's big clubs are interested, but Alonso's decision to stay put in Leverkusen might just influence his young charge.

Beating Bayern Munich

That decision meant Bayern Munich, as well as Liverpool, were denied their primary coaching target. But it isn't the first time Alonso has thwarted the Bavarians this season. An injury-time penalty from Palacios rescued a point in Munich in September, but it was a thoroughly convincing 3-0 home win in February that, in the eyes of many, turned Leverkusen from a team troubling Bayern to one who would dethrone them after 11 consecutive titles.

That Josip Stanisic, on loan from Bayern, opened the scoring was a reflection of Bayern's confused recruitment and, perhaps, arrogance. On the day, Bayern were toothless, with just one shot on goal, and Leverkusen picked them off with ease. It felt like a changing of the guard and was hailed as a tactical master class from Alonso.

The late show, on repeat

In the end, Leverkusen's relentless run and Bayern's uncharacteristic collapse has meant the title has been secured with little drama. That's rarely been the case with Leverkusen in the past, with the nickname "Neverkusen" (or "Vizekusen" in German) a commonly thrown reference to losses of nerve in the past.

This season, that's been flipped on its head by a number of injury-time salvage jobs. The Werkself have scored a staggering 24 goals in 29 league games after the 81st minute. They've made a remarkable habit of turning losses into draws, draws into wins or even, as happened against Hoffenheim and Europa League opponents Qarabag in March, defeats into wins in injury time.

They are Neverkusen no more.

Edited by: Mark Meadows

Bayer Leverkusen have broken Bayern Munich's stranglehold on the Bundesliga title after a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen confirmed Xabi Alonso's side as champions with five games to spare. Fans rushed from the stands to the pitch to celebrate the moment.

Leverkusen were not among the favorites for the title at the beginning of the season, with Bayern expected to wrap up a 12th consecutive title and Borussia Dortmund, pipped to the post last year, anticipated to be their closest challengers.

Time to celebrate

But Spanish coach Alonso has led his team to the verge of the first invincible season in Bundesliga history, with the German Cup final to come and Leverkusen still in the Europa League.

"We have to enjoy and celebrate today with our families, friends and fans," said Alonso after the game. This was my first (full) season as a coach, the feeling is incredible."

The "Werkself" ("Worker's Eleven"), as Leverkusen are known as a result of their link to pharmaceutical company Bayer, have made a happy habit of grasping late draws and wins from impossible positions this season and also demolished Bayern 3-0 back in February.

Wirtz seals it in style

Among their best performers have been left wingback Alex Grimaldo, a free transfer signing at the beginning of the season, experienced midfielder Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz, a homegrown talent who scored three times on Sunday. Wirtz, 20, will be hopeful of playing a key part for Germany in their home Euros later this year.

"It's indescribable," Wirtz said. Personally, it hasn't yet sunk in what we've done. I'm going to have to go back to the dressing room to get my head around it."

Leverkusen face Dortmund (5th), Stuttgart (3rd) and Eintracht Frankfurt (6th) in their next three Bundesliga games. But Bayern's collapsing form has meant these games, and the final two against Bochum and Augsburg, will matter only in terms of breaking further records.

 

Edited by: Martin Kuebler

A Bundesliga title, a German Cup final, a decent shot at a European trophy and, so far, not losing a single game: Xabi Alonso's first full season as a first team coach could not have gone much better.

A win for his Bayer Leverkusen side on Sunday, or a loss for Bayern Munich and Stuttgart the day before, will seal a first ever "Meisterschale" for the "Werkself" and underline Alonso's credentials as the best young coach in the world.

The turnaround since he took over in October 2022, with Leverkusen in the relegation zone, has been dramatic. But the origins of the 42-year-old's coaching success date back much further.

Basque born, German influenced

Alonso's playing career, like his coaching career, started at Real Sociedad, a club based in the Basque region of Spain where Alonso spent most of his formative years. His father, Periko Alonso, won La Liga twice with Sociedad and once with Barcelona, where Xabi spent a few of his early years, while his brother, Mikel, also played more than 100 games for Sociedad.

Xabi Alonso's quiet intelligence, exceptional passing range and astute tactical brain soon caught the attention of Liverpool, then Real Madrid and finally Bayern. "I'm Basque, total Basque, but with big German influence now," he told The Guardian earlier this season.

Fast learner

Though he spent about half of his career outside Spain, it was two Spanish coaches who would arguably have the greatest influence on Alonso. Both Rafael Benitez, at Liverpool, and Pep Guardiola, at Bayern Munich, saw a coach in the player.

"He was clever and he analyzed. When you explain things to some players, you have to repeat them. Xabi learned quickly," Benitez, under whom Alonso won the first of his two Champions League titles in 2005, told The Times.

For Guardiola, Alonso's approach marked him out. "He understands the game and has curiosity to understand the game. He knew during the weeks what we would have to do to win the next games," he said.

Possession and pragmatism

That analytical brain has served Alonso the coach just as well as it did Alonso the midfielder, and informs his tactical preferences.

The emphasis he puts on possession is clear: Leverkusen have attempted and completed the most passes in the Bundesliga this season. But those passes always have a purpose, with Leverkusen tending to build up rapidly through the middle. His wingbacks are kept high, wide and involved in transitions, particularly on the counterattack.

Equally though, Alonso has shown he is capable of adapting his style, most notably in the critical 3-0 win over Bayern in February. He dropped right wingback Jeremie Frimpong, regular attacking midfielder Jonas Hofmann and Czech striker Patrik Schick to make his team more solid, but with plenty of pace on the break. The surprise changes completely nullified Bayern, who mustered just one shot on target despite dominating possession.

"I think we have controlled well, to find the right moment when to press, when to wait, who could have the ball, who could not have the ball, and defensively for me it was an outstanding performance," Alonso explained after the match, which cemented Leverkusen's status as genuine title contenders.

Team builder

Frimpong came off the bench to score the third in that game, perhaps underlining the trust between players and coach even when tough calls are made. While not the most demonstrative of leaders, Alonso blends his trademark calmness with clear passion and drive on the touchline, and he is comfortable and personable in his dealings with the media, whether in English, Spanish or German.

"All the players have trusted him in how we play," Frimpong told TNT Sports earlier this week. "You can see it on the pitch, how we're always happy and like a team. The coaches he's played under, [Carlo] Ancelotti and Pep [Guardiola], he's had all this experience. When you have that, of course you'll be good at what you do. He's the gaffer, but he's amazing. Such a nice guy."

It is Ancelotti, who coached Alonso to his second Champions League win at Real Madrid and a Bundesliga title with Bayern, who proved the role model. "In terms of man management, Carlo Ancelotti is a master," he said. "When you talk about how you want to convince the players, or how to get the players to have a good relationship with you, Ancelotti is the master of them all."

Staying put

It looked, for a time, as if Alonso would take over at Bayern at the end of the season, or perhaps attempt to fill Jürgen Klopp's substantial shoes at Anfield. But Alonso has now confirmed he will stay with Leverkusen.

"There were many reasons and so many players," he said. "The season has been great so far, and we want to keep having this thing together. I feel part of it."

He may be just one part of the Leverkusen success story, but it's hard to believe he isn't the most important part.

Edited by: Jonathan Crane

The British government has joined France, Germany and the United States in accepting the International Olympic Committee's plan for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics in July and August. 

Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee have decided that athletes from the two countries can take part in the Games as neutrals if they have not publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine and are not linked to the military.

Britain's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer said last year that "any plans" to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in Paris were "not credible," suggesting the UK government favored a blanket ban.

Now it has changed its tune, writing to the IOC and IPC presidents to say it will back their stance.

A British government spokesman denied there had been a U-turn but specified: "Russian and Belarusian athletes representing their country should not be permitted in domestic or international sporting competition. That position still stands."

The nuance there is that as neutrals, Russians will not be representing their country at the Games, with no flags, anthems or national uniforms. They will also not be participating in the parade of nations at the opening ceremony.

The British government has now fallen into line with comparable Olympic nations. The United States has long backed the IOC position, even before it was officially agreed in December. Germany has also accepted the rules.

"German Minister of the Interior and Minister of Sport Nancy Faeser is sticking to her position that only Russian and Belarusian athletes who are demonstrably not connected to state structures in Russia and Belarus should be admitted," a ministry spokeswoman told DW.

"The Ministry of the Interior supports France here, whose President Macron, as host of the upcoming 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, recently declared Russian and Belarusian flags to be unwelcome at the Games in Paris and that Russia and Belarus have no place at the Games in view of the war crimes committed."

France, as host nation, has to toe the IOC line, although Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo broke ranks last month when she told Ukrainian YouTube channel United News: "I want to tell the Russian and Belarusian athletes that they are not welcome in Paris. I would also like to tell the Ukrainian athletes and all the Ukrainian people that we support them very much."

A Ukrainian boycott of the Games if Russians compete has long been floated, but that stance now appears to have softened. Instead, the head of the country's Olympic committee has issued guidance saying Ukrainian athletes in Paris should not stand next to Russians or shake their hands. Ukrainian activists have been busy trying to expose athletes who support the war or Russian military.

Russia and Belarus have not ruled out preventing their own athletes from competing, but the chance to win medals even as neutrals is set to prove too tempting for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.   

Edited by: Jonathan Crane

Historically, accepting a call up to join the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) has meant far more than agreeing to play football for your home country.

Donning a USWNT jersey has meant standing for and speaking up for the rights of minorities, be it women's rights, ethnic minorities right or the rights of those within the LGBTQ+ community.

However, as the furor surrounding the decision by Korbin Albert, a player for the US national women's football team, to repost homophobic and transphobic content on social media has shown, the emerging generation is diverging from the principles and standards laid by those who have come before.

Trust in USWNT damaged

According to multiple media outlets, the 20-year-old Albert recently shared a video on TikTok from a Christian sermon that described being gay and "feeling transgender" as wrong.

Soon after, Instagram screenshots emerged of Albert liking a post that seemed to celebrate Megan Rapinoe's Achilles injury four minutes into last year’s National Women's Soccer League final, in the final professional match of her career. 

Former US striker Rapinoe had long been the face and very vocal voice of the international team's support of the LGBTQ+ community during her 17-year playing career, before her retirement in 2023.

The indirect shot at the LGBTQ+ community from Albert sent a clear message to those it targeted, longtime USWNT supporter Elizabeth Brown, who identifies as queer, explained.

"I do not want a person who sees my very existence as 'wrong' representing me on the world stage," Brown told DW.

"I have always felt so much pride in seeing myself projected by those in the USWNT. Supporting the team has always felt like a safe space but I am no longer sure of that."

Swift response from teammates 

After Albert's posts came to light, Rapinoe was quick to respond on Instagram. Without naming anyone, she wrote that people who chose to hide behind their beliefs, "only believe in hate".  

Current captain Lindsay Horan and veteran striker Alex Morgan publicly rebuffed their teammate.

Before the national side went on to win a seventh SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's association football tournament, the pair unexpectedly appeared at the beginning of a virtual press conference ahead of the start of April's competition.

Reading from a prepared statement, Horan said: "We've worked extremely hard to uphold the integrity of this national team through all of the generations, and we are extremely, extremely sad that this standard was not upheld.

"Our fans and our supporters feel like this is a team that they can rally behind, and it's so important that they feel and continue to feel undeniably heard and seen."

Morgan added: "We [USWNT] stand by maintaining a safe and respectful space, especially as allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community, and this platform has given us an opportunity to highlight causes that matter to us, something that we never take for granted." 

Though Albert herself offered an apology for the hurt and offense caused by her social media activity, the midfielder was resoundingly booed when she was substituted during the US-Japan game at the SheBelieves Cup.

USWNT is a platform for more than football

Albert's publicly visible opinion came in stark contrast to the causes many of her countrywomen have championed for years, on the understanding of the platform they are afforded while being a part of the USWNT.

During the 2023 World Cup several countries, including Canada, Nigeria and Zambia, were playing at the tournament while fighting their governing bodies for basic rights and higher pay.

American defender Naomi Girma told DW last July that the US team understood the importance of not sitting back and watching on simply because they had won their own battles.

"When you are a part of this team, you know it means that you have to use this platform to help raise up others," she explained.

"Sometimes it's about doing it at the right time, or listening to the players and what they want from us, but it is always about offering support and showing we're here and ready to stand side by side with anyone taking on a fight we have, either as a team or individually, already gone through."

Progress lost?

During her career, Rapinoe had led the US charge for equal rights and equal pay with their male counterparts, a battle the team eventually won in February 2022. 

Rapinoe also used the publicity that came with playing for the four-time World Cup champions to highlight other causes. In 2016, she knelt during the US national anthem in support of former San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Kaepernick had begun choosing to sit instead of stand when the anthem was played, in protest of the treatment of Black people in the US.

In 2023, former captain Becky Sauerbrunn wrote an op-ed in support of transgender rights, as her home state of Missouri proposed a 'Save Women's Sports Act' that sought to exclude transgender athletes from participating in women's sport.

While those actions attracted plenty of negative reactions, including from former US President Donald Trump, they were also appreciated by many, including USWNT supporter Brown.

However, Albert's recent action left Brown fearing for the future of the US team and their advocacy.

"I worry that as the older generation — who have had to fight for every inch on and off the field — reach the end of their careers, this team will change what it stands for," said Brown.

"The younger players are reaping the rewards of what the previous generations have fought for, and I wonder if they will truly keep trying to speak up to protect our community and others, or if they will choose an easier way of life."

Edited by: Michaela Cavanagh

At the end of March, Brazil and Tottenham striker Richarlison told ESPN Brazil that therapy saved his life and his football career.

"We know how prejudiced people are when they say they're looking for [psychological] help," the 26-year-old said.

"I talk about it because it saved my life. I was at rock bottom. Only players know how much pressure we're under, not only on the pitch but also off it."

Richarlison's comments were just the latest example of an athlete speaking publicly about their mental health, something that has increased in the last five years. In Brazil, though, such comments are not as commonplace as elsewhere.

According to a 2023 paper by professor Tania Maria de Araujo published in a Brazilian health journal, efforts to improve mental health provisions across the country have been hampered by a lack of access to mental health services and legislation.

In the book "Mental Health in Elite Sport: Applied Perspective from Across the Globe," eight authors collated insight into mental health in Brazilian sport and revealed how much of an impact socioeconomic factors, such as access to adequate nutrition and sanitation, are for young players.

Despite this and the overwhelming popularity of football in Brazil, cross-disciplinary teams delivering the technical, tactical, psychological and mental health needs of players and coaches are not common in the country. Sports psychologists are not often seen in the staff of first teams and although they are mandatory in youth academies, they are often under enormous strain, managing a number of teams alone. This, however, is an issue that is not unique to Brazil, but exists across many football academies in the world .

"This issue is bigger than football," Cauan de Almeida, head coach of second-division side America Mineiro, told DW.

And at America, the club where Richarlison started his career, Cauan de Almeida and his staff are doing their best to help players develop mentally on and off the field.

Coaching through values

The 35-year-old is the face of a new coaching generation in Brazil, one that has developed their skills in the academy and is now bringing those values into the first-team environment.

He has moved up from America's academy and in doing so, he is bringing the values in his coaching philosophy — resilience, attitude, behavior, respect, courage, responsibility and being a family — with him, and is delivering them on the training pitch in combination with his technical and tactical coaching.

This isn't to say the club is not focused on winning. As one of the most traditional clubs in the country, America is desperate to return to the top flight, but Cauan de Almeida and his staff also know there is value in creating a meaning beyond just the victory on the pitch.

"We understand if we deliver on these values and this philosophy, day by day we can bring something more consistent for our players as a group," he said.

"When we bring these values for the players day by day, we are putting these values into their head, not just for our club but also for our families. We are inspiring new leaders. They will be better players and better people, and at home they can pass that knowledge onto their family."

There is a recognition here of the importance of holistic coaching.

"We understand it's a very important thing to talk about with our group, but also for Brazilian football as a whole," he said.

"We as a leader of the process, we also deal with this situation. We can feel what Richarlison felt. We need to understand the pressure of the result and how to handle it when you lose the game. We also need to be mentally strong."

To this end, Cauan de Almeida is working with a leading sports psychologist in the country to help himself and his players. When asked if this was common practice in football in the country, his response was telling.

"I think no, because my psychologist told me I am the first football coach she has seen," he said.

Leaving a legacy

The biggest challenge for Brazilian football is to move away from the idea that to be a Brazilian football means to possess an ability that is purely expressive and natural, and toward one that recognizes the importance of the person and the mind.

"We also understand when we deliver on our values, we can leave a legacy for the club and players," said Cauan de Almeida.

He wants to implant these values into the heart of the club so that when the day comes when he is no longer the coach, the values remain, creating a strategic consistency that allows for long-lasting personal and professional development.

Richarlison has opened the door for generational change, and Cauan de Almeida is making sure America Mineiro are doing their best to follow though. Their hope is that Brazilian football as a whole does the same.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Queues of sky blue shirts snake from the tram stops to the turnstiles as Manchester City fans make their way in to the Etihad Stadium for one of the season's biggest games – the Manchester derby against United. This crowd, of 40,086, is increasingly becoming normal for women's matches across England.

Less than a decade ago, the present situation was close to unthinkable. The league was not professional until 2018 and United, arguably the biggest men's club in England, didn't even have a women's team until that same year. Now, the WSL is held up as an example to follow: Arsenal average crowds of over 35,000, all but one of the division's 12 teams have played at their club's main ground and the cumulative league attendance record has already been broken with multiple games remaining. In contrast, attendances in the Women's Bundesliga are growing but only by 6%.

"I do think it's a really good league," City coach Gareth Taylor told DW. "The amount of changes that have happened in the three seasons that I've been here is huge. Moving in to the main stadiums, the exposure of all of the players and playing on the big stage, the TV coming on board more, I think it's amazing. And I can only see it going in one direction." 

Rising attendances not everything

Attendances are far from the only measure of success, though. Among those at the Etihad there were significant concerns, mostly from those who have followed women's football more closely and for longer than most, about the rapid pace of change robbing women's football of some of the qualities that have made it special for them.

"I feel like if you consistently play at the biggest stadiums, it will just create a divide between the fans and the players," Manchester United season ticket holder Anya told DW. "And the prices could start outpacing what fans can afford. If you look at the prices, it's already gone up quite a lot. While I do think the girls deserve it, how much of that money will they actually see?"

Anya watched the derby with her dad, Graham, a City fan. The two sat together in red and blue, something they wouldn't feel comfortable doing at a men's match and Graham added that the "beauty” of the women's game at smaller grounds was that players "actually chat and sign autographs, so the fans are appreciated."

That proximity to players, closeness with clubs and sense of community are among the things that have fueled the successful resistance to outside investment in the men's Bundesliga. It's also a factor in why Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany's best supported men's clubs, started their women's team in the regional leagues in 2021 rather than being parachuted in to the top flight, as City were when the WSL was restructed in 2014.

Marketing and facilites poles apart

While the on-field competition between English and German football continues — England can still boast a team in the Champions League (Chelsea), but Germany are the only one of the two heading to Paris this summer — marketing of the two domestic leagues is noticeably different.

The Manchester derby was broadcast live on BBC One, with WSL games constantly visible on major channels in the UK, and matches, players and merchandise heavily promoted. By contrast, the Bundesliga has next to no international presence or footprint.

Julia Simic, a Germany international who moved from the Bundesliga to West Ham in the WSL in 2018 before retiring after a spell at Milan in 2021, told DW that she was taken much more seriously as an athlete even back in the early stages of the WSL.

"It doesn't matter really where you go because you have such good infrastructure everywhere. We had everything we needed; the best pitches, we could use the men's gym, we had access to nutritionists. This is something I didn't even experience playing for Bayern Munich, playing for Wolfsburg and for Turbine Potsdam, at the time when they were a serious side in Germany. We didn't have anything like the infrastructure that WSL teams have."

German FA holding back Bundesliga?

Simic is also among a number of prominent voices in the German game calling for the DFB to allow an outside group to take control of the Women's Bundesliga. Despite, and indeed because of, the recent growth, that is exactly what is happening in England.

From the start of next season, the league will be operated by a so-called Newco, outside the jurisdiction of the English Football Association (FA). The theory is that this will allow the WSL to grow still further, as the men's Premier League did when it split from the FA in 1992 to eventually become the most lucrative league in the world.

For many fans, authenticity, community and closeness was lost in the scramble for investment on which the Premier League thrives. And there are fears the women's game could head the same way without careful curation.

At this point, even in England, it's those that travel the country week after week to follow their team, at great cost, that still form the bedrock of the WSL. Growth and investment are welcomed but tradition also holds value. Navigating a path that satisfies both is the next challenge for both leagues.

"Competitive and amateur sports are equally affected. It's about relative overload," Karsten Hollander explains to DW.

"For example, you sign up for a spring marathon on New Year's Eve and go from doing nothing to training 20, 40 or 60 kilometres per week — these are high-risk moments. The same thing can happen to a competitive runner after a four week break — for example, a college runner who gets back into high intensity training very quickly after the semester break."

Hollander is a professor of sports medicine at the Medical School Hamburg and since January 2024, has also been the head doctor for the German Athletics Association (DLV).

"In my own career as a middle-distance runner, I got away with only one low grade stress fracture," reveals the sports physician, who has been researching this type of injury since his studies.

Gradual process

A classic fracture occurs when a force, for example from a blow or kick, suddenly impacts on the bone from the outside. In contrast, a stress fracture, often referred to as a fatigue fracture, occurs at the end of a gradual process. Scientists also speak of "bone stress injuries", ranging from oedema — a painful accumulation of fluid in the bone — to actual fracture.

"The pain is usually already there at the start of the run and tends to get worse so that you can't run to the end of your route," says Hollander, describing the alarm signals that indicate a possible stress fracture. "This is different from tendon injuries, for example, which may not be as painful after the warmup phase as they were at the beginning."

If you experience dull or pulling bone pain while running, you should consult a doctor. The main areas at risk when running are the shin and foot.

Most cases in running sports

Stress fractures can occur in any type of sport, and bones that are subject to high stress are at particularly high risk. For example, fatigue fractures occur more frequently in the ribs of rowers or golfers, in tennis in the elbow or forearm bone near the wrist, and in jumping sports such as basketball, the foot bones as well as the foot and knee joints are often affected. In weightlifting and gymnastics, the vertebral arch is particularly at risk.

However, most stress fractures are reported in running sports. "On the one hand, running is a very popular sport in Germany, with 18 to 20 million people taking part. This results in a high number of cases. On the other hand, the impact forces that occur when landing are an important factor for bone stress injuries," explains Hollander.

Female athletes at more risk

According to studies, the risk of women suffering a stress fracture is around twice as high as that of men. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, women often have lower bone density and secondly, hormone levels.

"Oestrogen [female sex hormones] is important for bone metabolism," explains sports physician Hollander. "The type of contraception can also play a role: To what extent do the preparations interfere with the metabolism?"

This is why sports gynaecologists are now also part of the DLV's medical network. In addition, eating disorders are more common in female athletes than in male athletes and such disorders also increase the risk of stress fractures. "Too little relative energy intake must be avoided at all costs," says Hollander.

Sufficient calcium, but not too much

To prevent stress fractures, athletes should make sure their body is sufficiently supplied with calcium and vitamin D. Calcium stabilizes the bones, while vitamin D ensures that calcium is better absorbed by the body and incorporated into the bones.

While you are normally sufficiently supplied with the "sun hormone" vitamin D during the summer months when doing sport, calcium must be added to the body. As a rule, the daily requirement of around 1000 milligrams of calcium can be easily covered with a healthy diet, for example with dairy products, vegetables or mineral water containing calcium.

"Vegetarians or vegans who use milk substitutes should be careful. There are some with calcium and others without," Hollander points out. Even if calcium is excreted through sweat during intensive training, you should not thoughtlessly reach for calcium tablets to compensate for the deficit, warns the scientist.

"It can also be dangerous to take too much calcium. Among other things, this can increase the risk of kidney stones."

Gradually increase training

As stress fractures are a result of overloaded bones, Hollander recommends sensible training management.

"You shouldn't increase your workload by more than 20% from week to week. This applies to the total distance covered per week, the length of the longest run, but also to the intensity and scope of the individual running intervals."

Fitness apps on your smartphone or smartwatch can help monitor your exertion. A biomechanical analysis can also help. After all, your personal running style also determines how much strain is placed on your bones.

"A high frequency, like smaller steps, is preventative. The load per step is then lower," says Hollander.

And if a fatigue fracture does occur? Then the top priority is to protect the affected bone. In contrast to "classic" fractures, the broken bone parts rarely move in stress fractures. It is therefore usually not necessary to immobilise the bone completely with a plaster cast. Even playing sport remains possible, albeit in a different way.

"For passionate runners, taking a break from sport is usually the last thing they want to do," says Hollander. "They are more likely to switch to cycling or aqua jogging."

This article was originally written in German.

Do Germany have any more friendlies ahead of the Euros?

Indeed, they do. Their opponents for their final two friendlies are Ukraine and Greece. Germany host Ukraine, who will also be at the tournament having qualified through the playoffs, in Nuremberg on June 3. Four days later, they face Greece in Mönchengladbach.

The choice of opponents was deliberate, as Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann explained on the German FA's website (DFB.de). 

"We have to prepare for different styles of play and systems with a view to the European Championship and our group opponents. Ukraine and Greece are two combative, passionate teams — we've had our difficulties with opponents of this type recently," he said.

Who could be in the squad despite being left out in March?

Leroy Sane will almost certainly return to the squad after serving his red card suspension.

"If he's healthy, we won't do without him because he's simply a super player," Nagelsmann told a press conference after the international break.

Promising Bayern youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic (out with tonsillitis) and Heidenheim's Jan-Niklas Beste (adductor muscle) were ruled out at short notice despite being called up for the two matches. They remain in the mix for Euro 2024.

A muscle injury forced Manuel Neuer to miss the France and Netherlands games, but Nagelsmann has confirmed he will be his No. 1 goalkeeper for the tournament.

There is also good news for the players who were in that squad.

"If everyone stays healthy, we definitely won't swap out 10 players in the summer," the coach told reporters. "Not even five, actually. Maybe one or two."

This is obviously not good news for Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry, as well as the many Dortmund players like Mats Hummels, Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck and Julian Brandt, who have been out of the picture recently.

Also missing from the squad was Jonas Hofmann of Bayer Leverkusen. According to the 31-year-old, the coach told him that he'd be left out due to a "lack of momentum" — an assessment that Hofmann doesn't share.

"We're in first place [in the Bundesliga], I don't know if there's any better momentum for a player right now," he told reporters at a recent Leverkusen training session.

When will the final squad be announced?

Nagelsmann has yet to say when he intends to name his final squad for Euro 2024, but the provisional squad is expected to be announced between the final week of the Bundesliga season (May 18) and the German Cup final (May 25).

The final 23-man squad is set to be announced on June 7.

This time, Nagelsmann can name just 23 players to his final roster — as opposed to the 26 that were allowed for the 2020 European Championship (delayed until 2021) and 2022 World Cup, due the possibility of players being ruled out at short notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When and where will the national team hold their training camp?

Germany are to hold their training camp from May 26 to May 31 at a golf resort in Blankenhain in the eastern state of Thuringia. Nagelsmann has described the resort as providing the "perfect conditions" for the team to prepare for the home European Championship.

Sporting director Rudi Völler said they had specifically chosen somewhere in the east of the country because they wanted to give the fans there the chance to be close to the action, given there are no Germany games scheduled in that region during the Euros.

Where will the national team be based for the tournament?

After just under a week in Thuringia, the DFB squad will move on to Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, where they will prepare for the friendly against Ukraine. Following their friendly against Greece in Mönchengladbach in the west of the country, they'll travel back south to Herzogenaurach, their base for the Euros. 

Herzogenaurach is home to the headquarters of (still) DFB outfitter Adidas. The company built the "Home Ground" site for Germany four years ago, and the team used it as their base for the last, pan-European Euros in 2021. The relative proximity to the venues for Germany's group-stage matches — in Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt — was a factor in the decision to return to Herzogenaurach for Euro 2024.

This article was originally written in German.

A young basketball player is being put through his paces in a sports medicine lab. On command, he jumps and lands with one leg onto a force plate embedded in the floor.

"I need one more," Dr. Hauke Dewitz calls out to him.

So the same procedure again: taped with reflective beads, so-called markers, and electrodes that measure muscle activity, the 16-year-old jumps again. Pain in his right knee, which has been bothering him for months, has brought him to the lab. With the controlled movements completed, now comes the analysis by the sports orthopedist treating the athlete.

Based on the data, sports scientist Dewitz is looking for the causes of the inflammation of the patellar tendon. Why does the knee bend almost imperceptibly to one side? Do the muscles slow the body down properly? What forces are acting on the joints? Biomechanical analysis can reveal such clues. For more than two hours, the patient has had to call up his repertoire of movements: run, jump, change direction and perform squats. He has also had to demonstrate his sense of balance and strength.

Sports stars with everyday problems

Well-known professional athletes also come to the practice near Cologne. For professionals and their clubs, health is a million-dollar game – all options are exhausted when it comes to correcting physical ailments.

"However, hardly any athletes have come to us for preventive care so far," Dewitz tells DW.

He believes that doing so could prevent some problems and injuries.

"Most of them come after an operation or with injuries that occur repeatedly, for example fiber tears in a particular thigh muscle."

His conclusion from years of experience is that top athletes are not usually plagued by exotic aches and pains but have the same problems as everyone else: aching tendons, muscles or joints that cannot withstand the strain.

"People always think that top athletes are so well-trained that you can hardly find any weaknesses in the analysis," Dewitz says.

However, in the sports of football and basketball in particular, there are sometimes fundamental weaknesses. For example, a lack of strength in key muscle groups, which means that the joints take the strain, Dewitz explains.

"I'm always amazed by that.

However, motion analysis in and of itself does not provide a cure.

The role of artificial intelligence in sports science

"It is a valuable decision-making aid," Professor Maren Witt, head of the biomechanics laboratory at Leipzig University tells DW.

The results provide doctors, physiotherapists, and patients with information on where the pain is coming from and how it can be remedied.

"We are currently experiencing how this technology, which was reserved for top athletes just a few years ago, is becoming accessible to many people," Witt says.

Whereas individual analyses used to take days, they can now be done in just a few hours.

"In the future, artificial intelligence will also make sticking on marker points superfluous," the scientist predicts.

In addition to saving time, this could help people who go for analysis because of knee, hip or back problems but are reluctant to show themselves in swimwear.

In the coming years, Hauke Dewitz hopes to be able to measure athletes in a normal training environment, like on the soccer pitch or the basketball court, just as well as in the laboratory.

"That would be even more individual and therefore more sport-specific," Dewitz explains.

Targeted training

After two hours of analysis, Derwitz finds that there is indeed room for improvement for the young basketball player. While the two-meter-tall (6'6") youngster lands cleanly on his left leg, he doesn't do so well on his right. The leg rotates slightly, the strength values show high load peaks – factors that cause stress on the inflamed patellar tendon.

The sports scientist recommends that he tackle the problem with targeted training. This includes simple strength training for the thighs and buttocks, but also finer technique exercises for running and landing.

How effective and suitable for everyday use can such training be?

"In high-performance sport, we assume that it works," Professor Witt says, "even if it is difficult to scientifically attribute it to movement analysis alone, because many factors play a role in health and athletic performance."

At this point, Dewitz recounts a story of a national team player whose hamstring had been bothering her for years. A problem that saw a number of medical solutions fail. Analysis revealed the simple reason: one muscle was compensating for the weakness of another and was therefore overloaded. With targeted training, the problem disappeared into thin air.

"Any physiotherapist or sports scientist can do that," says Dewitz. "I don't need a football club worth millions behind me for that."

This article was originally published in German. 

Two minutes after Maximilian Mittelstädt scored his first ever Germany goal, Robert Andrich had no problem getting in Memphis Depay's face. Later, it was Antonio Rüdiger challenging Wout Weghorst. Days before, it had been Toni Kroos crunching his Real Madrid team Aurelien Tchouameni and Andrich, again, riling up Kylian Mbappe.

"Something has definitely come into being that wasn't there before," said Kroos.

"You can see it in the small things, the tackles, the reaction between us," said Thomas Müller.

Both France and the Netherlands were beaten and over the course of seven days, the conversation around this team has changed. Germany's brilliance was unleashed, its bite rediscovered. This was a team taking its first steps away from a troubling few years.

A mentally free team

On the field, an ease has returned to Germany. This team feels in control of their game again, and much of that has to do with the majestic return of Kroos and the decisions of head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

As the return of another member of the golden generation, Kroos' comeback had the potential to slow Germany down. Instead, the 34-year-old has been majestic, setting the most creative players free and seemingly unlocking something in Nagelsmann too.

The former Bayern Munich coach hasn't always got it right since he took over last year, but his decision in 2024 to go with inform players regardless of age, experience or club is proving astute.

This group played like a team that was mentally free. With players from Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Arsenal, there are a handful challenging to be champions. In Stuttgart and Brighton, there are those who are riding the waves of overachievement. Other than Niclas Füllkrug, it is notable that there were no Borussia Dortmund players in this squad.

Nagelsmann's choices are positively impacting the dynamic of the group, with perhaps no better example being Leroy Sané joining up with squad for the Netherlands game despite being suspended so as to remain involved.

Having Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala in your team helps, though. Not only did Wirtz score the fastest ever goal in German football history against France (after just seven seconds), but every time he touched the ball he never looked troubled by those in opposing shirts. Sometimes it even looked like he enjoyed the challenge of having to solve the riddle of the players in front of him.

Capturing the spirit of the nation

"That feeling we've always had, is that we have the potential to be a great football nation and now we have boosted those hopes a bit," Müller said after the Netherlands win.

Winning always helps in sport, but it's combining those victories with the mood of the country that truly establishes a connection between the team and its fans.

Just days before the France friendly, Germany's new kit was released. The pink away kit caused a stir, but thanks to an advertising campaign that discussed the idea of what is typically German, a cultural connection with a fanbase and many wider parts of the population that has long been fading was reestablished. Pure marketing or not, this team was talking like one aware of the nuance in the country it was representing. And it seems people heard it too. Even before Germany beat France, the opening sales of the away kit were the best ever for a Germany away kit.

During the Netherlands game, the change in goal music to Tom Schilling's 1983 hit "Major Tom," is a popular move with fans. While the chorus includes the phrase "Völlig losgelöst" – German for completely detached – this was, in truth, another small step to bringing the team closer to the fans.

Afterwards, Füllkrug, talking on the team's Instagram channel, thanked the fans for their support but called on them to find someone to lead the cheers from the stands, someone with a megaphone. A Bundesliga crowd at a Germany game? Things really are changing.

Here to stay

One good week does not make this team complete or change years of turmoil. Wingbacks remain an issue and off the field and DFB reform is of more concern to many than Euro glory, as a survey by public broadcaster ZDF recently revealed. A DFB tax evasion investigation is ongoing and a newly launched anti-racism campaign is positive but is open to criticism. And that's before the seismic news about Nike's impending arrival dropped.

Nevertheless, it's undeniable how impactful this week has been.

"A few months ago we would have probably crumbled after going a goal down – but that didn't happen," Kroos said matter-of-factly after the Netherlands win.

Maximilian Mittelstädt went one further. "Something big is happening here."

Euro 2024 tournament director and former Germany captain Philipp Lahm said the potential of the competition this summer is the creation of "a group identity, that something is really happening in our society." The first hints of that emerged in March as spring sprung for Germany. Now, the hope is this team can ride this momentum all the way through the summer.

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
(Füllkrug 36')
Westfalenstadion, Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund will take a precious lead into the Champions League semifinal second leg in Paris next week after Niclas Füllkrug's stunning first-half strike proved the winner in Wednesday night's first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Ten minutes before half-time, central defender Nico Schlotterbeck exposed PSG's high defensive line with a long ball over the top which Füllkrug brought down with a cushioned first touch before firing emphatically past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Dortmund a different proposition in Europe

Frustratingly inconsistent in the Bundesliga this season, Dortmund have been a completely different proposition in the Champions League, winning a tough group – which included PSG – before seeing off Atletico Madrid in a spectacular quarterfinal.

And the European BVB were back on show again on Wednesday night.

Jadon Sancho, who has been slowly returning to form in Dortmund on loan from Manchester United, produced his best display yet: confident on the ball in midfield and full of pace and trickery on the right wing in a man-of-the-match performance.

"I came here at 17 and Borussia Dortmund gave me the opportunity to play professional football," Sancho told CBS Sports when asked why the club seems to suit him so much. "The staff and the players have welcomed me back and I want to give everything in front of the fans."

On the left, German international Karim Adeyemi put in an impressive shift both offensively and defensively while, at the back, Mats Hummels and Schlotterbeck kept superstar Parisian striker Kylian Mbappé as quiet as is possible.

"I think we showed a classic team performance today," said Hummels. "Everyone helped each other to win the game. We needed a bit of luck a couple of times, but we can be very satisfied with our performance. It was a very satisfying, very grown-up performance from us."

Woodwork twice denies PSG

But freshly-crowned French champions PSG didn't come into this tie as favorites for no reason, having produced a dramatic comeback to knock out Barcelona in the previous round.

Trailing at half-time, Luis Enrique's side came flying out of the blocks in the second half and hit the post twice in the space of 30 seconds. First, Mbappé curled an effort onto Gregor Kobel's left-hand post before, in the scene that followed, Achraf Hakimi hit the right-hand post.

Further chances followed for Ousmane Dembelé and Vitinha as PSG pressed for what would have been a deserved equalizer.

But Dortmund also had chances to increase their lead, with Sancho continuing to twist Nuno Mendes inside out down the right before cutting back to Füllkrug who fired over.

Then, when the outstanding Sancho threaded a pass through to Julian Brandt, the German midfielder opted to take a touch rather than shoot first time, allowing PSG captain Marquinhos to slide in and block.

Backed by a raucous capacity crowd at the Westfalenstadion, Edin Terzic's side hung on and will now take a valuable advantage into next week's second leg.

"It's always difficult playing here," Marquinhos said. "We knew how much of a contest it was going to be. But: 1-0, we've overcome it before, especially at home with our supporters."

"It's not over yet," warned Sancho. "Hopefully we can go to Paris now and get the job done."

Edited by: Mark Hallam

Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid
(Sané 53', Kane pen 57' - Vinicius Jr 24', 83' pen)
Allianz Arena, Munich

Bayern Munich was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw in their Champions League semifinal first leg against Real Madrid after a late Vinicius Juniorpenalty canceled out goals from Leroy Sané and Harry Kane which had put Bayern ahead.

Having at least avoided defeat in Munich, Bayern will head to Madrid for the return leg next Wednesday confident that they are very much in the tie.

Freshly-crowned Spanish champions Real took the lead against the run of play midway through the first half when recently recalled German international Toni Kroos found Vinicius Junior with a pinpoint pass from midfield, and the Brazilian striker slotted home past Manuel Neuer.

But Bayern came flying out of the blocks after halftime and drew level through Sané, the German winger driving inside from the right wing before firing home emphatically at the near post.

Just three minutes later, Bayern were awarded a penalty when Jamal Musiala was brought down in the box, and Kane converted to put them ahead.

A 2-1 win would have been a dream result for Bayern to take to Spain, but Real was awarded a penalty of their own seven minutes from time when Bayern defender Min-jae Kim brought down Rodrygo, and Vinicius Junior stepped up to score his second as the game ended all-square.

Thomas Tuchel: 'They scored two goals from two chances'

"They did to us what they do to everyone: they have two chances and score two goals," said Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchelat full time.

"But the situation is now clear. We don't need to think any more. Whether in 90 minutes, 120 minutes or on penalties, we need a victory in Madrid and then onwards to Wembley."

The first of those Madrid chances came after Bayern had dominated the opening fifteen minutes, backed by home support whose pre-match display had called on their team to honor the recently deceased club legend Franz Beckenbauer.

But they didn't expect the best tribute to "Kaiser Franz" to come from an opposition player as Toni Kroos threaded a perfect pass through to Vinicius Junior to give Real the lead.

"We're pretty convinced that we'll go through at home," said the 34-year-old, looking ahead to the second leg.

Kroos' pass may have been pinpoint but it was aided by poor positioning from Kim, starting ahead of the injured Matthijs de Ligt. It was a night to forget for Bayern's South Korean central defender, who later conceded the penalty from which Vinicius equalized.

"He was too greedy," criticized Tuchel, describing the first goal in particular as "too easy, just one move in the opposite direction."

Carlo Ancelotti hails 'good result'

For Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, a 2-2 draw was also an acceptable result with the second leg at home still to come.

"It's a good result," he said. "I think in terms of the performance we could have done better. Our best moment was at the start of the second half and that's exactly when they scored two against us." 

Real goalscorer Vinicius said: "I'm very happy that I was able score two goals, and now we need to have a magical night at home. We have to continue with cool heads, rest until next week, and we will give everything to leave the Bernabeu qualified for [the final in] London."

Edited by: Jonathan Harding