Teenage transfers trigger Bundesliga row
Reuters - Thursday 12 January 2012, 11:28
The transfers of two
13-year-olds to Bundesliga clubs Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg
have triggered a row over top clubs' efforts to attract younger
players with critics calling for an end of "child snatching."
The two players, from Berlin and Hamburg, will now move to
Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg respectively, hundreds of miles from
their homes, with the full support of their parents.
"We have to accept the transfer but in my view he will not
be able to deliver 100 percent in Wolfsburg," said St Pauli
youth director Joachim Philipkowski over the departure of their
player. "He will be taken out of his familiar environment. I do
not think this is the right way."
Several other teams as well as the German football league
(DFL), which runs the top divisions, and the country's football
association (DFB) have expressed concern.
"There used to be a gentlemen's agreement in the past that
one should not take away talent," said DFL managing director
Holger Hieronymus. "Therefore there is the wish to have such an
agreement again."
VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 have opposed such transfers.
"I am not a friend of ripping people, who are too young,
from their social environment," said Hannover sports director
Jorg Schmadtke.
Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg have defended their actions, saying
such transfers were common practice in every other major
European league.
"I don't know what this hypocrisy is all about," said
Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath (pictured) from his team's winter training
camp in Dubai. "You have to get the players early if you want to
develop them."
"We all took the decision together to set up youth academies
and focus on youth work. That is the consequence," said Magath
in reference to the country's obligatory youth academies for
clubs in the top two divisions.
Following disappointing results forh the national team in
1998 and 2000, Germany decide to set up the academies to develop
a new generation of top players.
The results of the investment, which has exceeded 500
million euros since 2002, has been evident in recent years with
Germany finishing third in the 2010 World Cup, fielding their
youngest national team in 76 years.
Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title last season with
a number of young players in their starting team.