Bayern still only fear the tax man
Pride of the Bundesliga they may be, and they could well provide six of Germany’s starting line-up in the World Cup, but this evening up and down the country, from Hamburg to Stuttgart, there will be a lot of ‘Germancunians’ hoping to see them stumble at Old Trafford.
“Your hatred is our pride,” is a favourite saying of Bayern fans when confronting their rivals and Manchester United supporters will easily understand that nothing breeds hatred like success. Last season Bayern broke all records in winning a historic treble: this season they have gone further, wrapping up the most one-sided Bundesliga in history by a record margin.
It has been trumpeted as a triumph for the Bayern way, but it has become a triumph with a sour note. As they lifted the league trophy for the 23rd time, Pep Guardiola dedicated the victory to club president Uli Hoeness, just days after he was forced to resign after his conviction for tax fraud.
Bayern and their fans had known for more than a year that Hoeness would be found guilty. But they and he seemed confident he would escape punishment, or at most be liable to a big fine, after the hurried late-night delivery of 50,000 pages of documentation to the authorities, plus a payment of €3 million in back-tax.
After all, tens of thousands of wealthy Germans have used Swiss banks to evade tax and it was an accepted loophole for years. The rule is that if you come clean before the authorities are on to you — selbstanzeige as they call it — then you won’t go to jail.
As it turned out the €3.5m fraud Hoeness was initially accused of was just the tip of the iceberg. During his four-day trial last month the fraud was first revealed to be more than €18m and then €27m. The amount to be repaid will probably be even higher.
For Hoeness this spelled disaster: he’s probably been fortunate to escape with a three-and-a-half-year sentence. For Bayern, with its blue-chip board including directors of Allianz, Audi and Adidas, it is a serious embarrassment.
Germany’s most establishment newspaper Die Zeit commented: “So far, it’s the best season ever played by the club but also the most gruesome one because their president fell from idol to fraudster. This is the first time that a Bundesliga title was dedicated to a convicted criminal who’s not even at the club anymore.”
In personal terms, Guardiola’s tribute was understandable. It was Hoeness who travelled to New York to persuade him to join the club. Only last summer the president was being feted with huge banners in the Allianz Arena and cheered to the echo as the fans celebrated in the Marienplatz. He was Mr Bayern for so long it may have seemed inconceivable not to acknowledge him. But it has certainly ratcheted up the hostility another notch.
Pride comes before a fall. So could this tie upset all the odds? After securing the title in Berlin last Tuesday, Bayern only managed to draw 3-3 at home to Hoffenheim on Saturday, which slightly spoiled the party mood. They also had trouble breaking down a determined Mainz defence before winning with two late goals. Bayern will miss the injured Thiago tonight — he’s played an important part in midfield this season — and Dante is also out because of a suspension. Javier Martinez, who may replace him at the back, is one card away from a ban.
Some grounds for optimism then, but not much. Against Hoffenheim Manuel Neuer, David Alaba, Thomas Muller and Javier Martinez all stayed on the bench. Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic came on as substitutes. It could be a taxing occasion for United.
