By David Owen
May 4 – The most powerful man in world sport faces a nervous week as one of his favourite football clubs battles to avoid relegation from the German Bundesliga.
FC Nűrnberg’s defeat at the hands of Hannover 96 on Saturday means the club, which is supported by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, will almost certainly need to beat high-flying Schalke 04 in its last regular season fixture on May 10 to stand any chance of retaining its status in the top tier of German football.
Even that would not be enough if Hamburger SV, currently one point and one place above them, secures victory over FSV Mainz 05 the same day. And even if it does climb a place to finish 16th, Nűrnberg would face a play-off against the third-placed team in the 2. Bundesliga, German football’s second tier, in order to avoid the drop.
Bach, who was born near Wűrzburg, disclosed at his first media conference as IOC President in Buenos Aires last September that he was a keen football fan, even, as a youngster, preferring the sport to fencing, the activity in which he went on to win an Olympic gold medal.
Bach now supports two clubs – Bayern Munich, as well as Nürnberg. While Bayern have marched to yet another Bundesliga title this year, their recent hammering at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final will doubtless also have disappointed him.
If the worst does come to the worst, the knowledge that Nürnberg holds the record for the number of promotions from the second tier back to the Bundesliga may be a source of consolation for the IOC President.
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