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Greuther Fuerth coach preaches courage ahead Bayern clash

Bayern Munich may have accumulated 31 German titles and six European crowns in their glorious history but Friday’s modest opponents Greuther Fuerth can at least boast the support of the former right-hand man of two US presidents, Henry Kissinger.

“It’s definitely the biggest challenge, but we want to approach it with a lot of joy,” said Fuerth head coach Stefan Leitl.

“We can let ourselves off the leash and play football with courage.”

This is only Fuerth’s second season in Germany’s top flight since their debut in 2012/13, when Kissinger flew over from America just to watch a home game.

The 98-year-old, who served under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was born in Fuerth, which is situated near Nuremberg.

His Jewish family fled Nazi Germany in 1938, but not before he had watched Greuther Fuerth play as a boy.

“I wish Fuerth win the title,” Kissinger, a controversial winner of the Nobel Prize, said during his September 2012 visit, but his beloved club was relegated in last place at the end of their first Bundesliga season.

Fuerth lost 3-0 and 2-0 during the 2012/13 season to a Bayern team on their way to winning the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles.

A sell-out crowd of 11,370 is expected for Friday’s game at Fuerth’s Sportpark Ronhof stadium, an intimate arena compared to Bayern’s 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena.

READ ALSOLewandowski drops hint on future ahead Fuerth clash

The two clubs inhabit the same league but do not mix in the same circles.

Bayern’s star-studded squad is estimated to be worth 852 million euros ($1 billion)  21 times the value of their Fuerth counterparts.

 

 

 

 

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