Germany´s football stars set to honour tragic Enke

November 15, 2009

German football stars past and present will gather in Hanover on Sunday to pay their last respects to tragic goalkeeper Robert Enke, who committed suicide last week.

Enke, 32, who had been set to travel with the Germany squad to next June’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa, flung himself under a busy commuter train at a small town near Hanover last Tuesday evening having suffered from depression.

The tragedy has stunned football-mad Germany and the national team’s planned friendly against Chile on Saturday was called off as a mark of respect.

A public memorial service will be held at 11:00 am (1000 GMT) in Hanover 96’s stadium, which the entire Germany squad — led by captain Michael Ballack — will attend, before Enke is buried in a private ceremony.

Representatives from Enke’s former clubs — Spanish giants Barcelona and Portugual’s Benfica — will attend while many former German football greats are also expected.

A tribute on behalf of the Germany squad will be printed in several newspapers here on Sunday.

“Robert inspired and moved many people both with his life story and his career,” said the text signed by Germany coach Joachim Loew, team manager Oliver Bierhoff and Ballack.

“Robert was both an exceptional sportsman and a wonderful human being.

“People like Robert are like stars. They shine brightly, even in the darkest night. They do not die but live in our hearts forever.”

Enke had been treated for depression since 2003 and had an acute fear of failure.

He leaves his wife Teresa, 33, and eight-month-old daughter Leila, whom the couple adopted in May after their two-year-old daughter Lara died from a heart infection. Enke will be buried next to his daughter.

With more than 50,000 mourners expected at the memorial service, the club’s 45,000-seater stadium is expected to be packed and two giant video screens will be erected outside for those who do not get in.

“We will see how much Robert Enke meant to some people and what a great personality he was,” said Hanover 96 president Martin Kind.

“The scale of the sympathy is overwhelming – not only in Hanover, but in all of Germany and even abroad.”

The service will be screened live on five German television channels and Enke’s coffin will be in the centre circle at the Bundesliga club before six of his former Bundesliga team-mates will carry him to his final resting place.

“We will all never forget Robert,” concluded his team-mates’ moving tribute.

BERLIN (AFP)

Tags: Barcelona, berlin, captain michael, captain Michael Ballack, commuter train, fear of failure, football greats, football mad, football stars, former clubs, german football, germany squad, giant video screens, great personality, hanover 96, joachim loew, last respects, Martin Kind, Michael Ballack, oliver bierhoff, portugual, private ceremony, Robert, robert enke, Teresa, wife teresa

Inter edge Palermo in eight goal thriller

October 30, 2009

Inter Milan ruined Walter Zenga’s homecoming by beating Palermo 5-3 in an eight-goal thriller at the San Siro on Thursday.

Zenga had threatened to upset his former employers as his battling team fought back from a 4-0 half-time deficit to within a goal with a quarter of the game remaining before Diego Milito settled things late on.

Former Italy goalkeeper Zenga, who spent 12 years as an Inter player, was given a standing ovation when he arrived but his team was then ripped apart in a painful first 45 minutes, seemingly making a mockery of his pre-match claims that his side would challenge for the title.

And while the first goal was due to some horrible home-team refereeing, thereafter Palermo simply could not handle Inter’s bristling attacking play as Samuel Eto’o and Mario Balotelli each bagged a brace.

Inter boss Jose Mourinho admitted he was annoyed at his team’s second half performance.

“Obviously I was a bit angry and a bit worried because the game should have been over,” he said.

“That can happen if a team loses concentration, it was a great comeback by Palermo.

“Away to a big team at 4-0 you’d have thought they’d be trying to keep the score down but instead they went going for it.”

Zenga was left rueing an uncharacteristic defensive performance.

“At the end of the first half we conceded three goals that shouldn’t have, that were unusual for us,” he said.

“But we did great to come back into the game, we showed great personality and desire.”

Inter are now four points clear at the top of Serie A ahead of Juventus who thumped third-placed Sampdoria 5-1 on Wednesday.

The lead came on 7min when the referee laughably awarded the hosts a penalty after Balotelli tried to run through an inexistent gap between two defenders and fell over.

The teenager then tried to take the penalty off Eto’o only to be dragged away by captain Javier Zanetti and he threw a mini tantrum as Eto’o lashed home the spot-kick.

If that goal had been unfair on Palermo, the Sicilians could have no complaints about what happened in the rest of the half.

After Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, who played very well, had tipped a deviation off defender Dorin Goian from Eto’o’s cross onto the post, Esteban Cambiasso’s driven centre came too quick for Balotelli who headed wide with his eyes closed.

Sirigu made saves from Maicon (twice) and Eto’o before Julio Cesar pushed away a fierce Fabrizio Miccoli free-kick up the other end.

Just past the hour mark Cambiasso lashed a close range shot over the bar but on 34min it was two as Balotelli rose above Australian Mark Bresciano to head home Maicon’s corner.

Palermo collapsed just before the break as Sirigu and Simon Kjaer got in each other’s way leaving Cambiasso free to head goalwards before Balotelli got the last touch on the line.

And two minutes before the break the 19-year-old teed up Eto’o to beat Sirigu at his near post.

At 4-0 at the break the game seemed over but Palermo came out after the restart in determined mood and showed just why Zenga has so much faith in them.

Miccoli started the comeback on 49min as he latched onto a long Simplicio through ball, held off Ivan Cordoba and chipped Julio Cesar.

That seemed to be little more than a consolation but just past the hour mark teenage Uruguayan substitute Abel Hernandez tapped home a Mattia Cassani cross at the back post.

And midway through the half a stunning reverse ball from Cassani with the outside of his boot and without looking — much like Ronaldinho almost copyrighted during his Barcelona days — released Miccoli between Cordoba and Davide Santon to again dink the ball over Julio Cesar.

But seven minutes from time a tired-looking Palermo defence wilted and Maicon teed up substitute Milito to tap home the eighth goal of the night from close range.

ROME (AFP)