Soccer

• Fans had planned giant mosaic of Champions League trophy• Wembley deems it would breach health and safety rulesBorussia Dortmund supporters will be prevented from unfurling a mosaic of the Champions League trophy at Wembley before Satu...
• Fans had planned giant mosaic of Champions League trophy• Wembley deems it would breach health and safety rulesBorussia Dortmund supporters will be prevented from unfurling a mosaic of the Champions League trophy at Wembley before Saturday's final against Bayern Munich due to health and safety fears.Dortmund's fans are renowned for their imaginative choreography but Uefa and Wembley rules mean a banner cannot be passed between the seats in level one of the stadium and the corporate section in level two, where members of the "Uefa family" will sit.Wembley officials said they have tried to accommodate the requests of both sets of supporters for the showpiece game, the second time the Champions League final has been held at the ground in three years, but could not guarantee that spectators in the corporate seats would take part in any partisan activity.So it was deemed that Dortmund's choreography would breach health and safety conditions, while the gradient of the seats in level five of the stadium is too steep for a giant flag to be unfurled.Daniel Lörcher, a Dortmund supporter-liaison officer, said: "It is very sad for our supporters, there are a lot of regulations and it isn't possible to do a good choreography. We won't do a bad one so it's cancelled. In the middle of the standing area there is the VIP area for non-supporters, if you can't do the choreography here you can't do a whole build. They were planning flags, papers and a whole picture of the trophy."They didn't finish their plans, they bought material and flags, but they can use it next season for a home match. It's really sad, it's the biggest game for them and they can't do a choreography. There are problems in London that aren't so big here."Dortmund supporters will still carry flags and wear yellow shirts to bring a "yellow wall" from Germany to London.Bayern Munich, meanwhile, will attempt a choreography despite the red tape at Wembley, although their fans admitted there were a number of "hurdles" to overcome and that "the conditions for a successful choreography are catastrophic".Borussia DortmundChampions LeagueWembley stadiumJames Riachguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Liverpool will move for Manchester City defender Kolo Toure on a free transfer once his contract expires in June.
Liverpool will move for Manchester City defender Kolo Toure on a free transfer once his contract expires in June.
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Lionel Messi looks back at a difficult year for Barcelona, albeit one in which the Catalan side won La Liga
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The Ligue 1 champions are determined to keep their star players on board and have not yet given up hope of holding on to their coach either Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has stressed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Si...
The Ligue 1 champions are determined to keep their star players on board and have not yet given up hope of holding on to their coach either Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has stressed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva will remain with the club – regardless of whether or not Carlo Ancelotti joins Real Madrid. The Italian has told PSG that he wants to leave after los Blancos approached him to replace Jose Mourinho, but Leonardo has insisted that the future of Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva is unrelated to that of Ancelotti. “Neither Ibrahimovic, nor Thiago Silva will leave the club if Ancelotti moves on,” Leonardo told L’Equipe. Meanwhile, Thiago Silva’s agent Paulo Tonietto has ruled out a summer move, too. “There’s zero chance that he will leave this summer. PSG do not want to sell him. He’s an important part of their project and he will stay put regardless of what will happen with Ancelotti,” Tonietto told RMC. Leonardo then went on to make it clear that les Parisiens still hope they can convince Ancelotti to spurn Madrid’s advances. “We hope that Carlo will change his mind. I fully understand that when a club like Real Madrid states an interest, a coach will think it over. “Ancelotti has always had the unconditional support of this club and when an offer from Real Madrid comes in, it’s a challenge for us. The best way to handle these matters is by sitting down to discuss them.” Ancelotti took charge of PSG in December 2011 and guided them to their third-ever Ligue 1 title this season.
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We've crunched the numbers from the 2012-13 Premier League season and tasted statistical goldWith Fergie Time finally over for good, it feels appropriate that Manchester United's powers of recovery have never been as strong as they were ...
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Motherwell forward Michael Higdon says his phone is "busy" as he decides where he will play next season.
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You've made your nominations in the nine categories of our season review. Now it's time to vote …Paul Campbell
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By Chris Wright Bayern Munich have press-ganged the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor Lorin Maazel into producing the club’s official song for their upcoming appearance in the Champions League Final at Wembley on Ma...
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Media round-up: Spanish newspapers accuse Jose Mourinho of leaving Madrid in a worse state than when he took over.
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MK Dons boss Karl Robinson will assess his future this week, amid speculation linking him to the Sheffield United job.
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