Bayern Breno Jailed for Arson

Former Bayern Munich defender Breno has been jailed for almost four years after being found guilty of arson.

The Munich State Court sentenced Breno, 22, to a prison term of three years and nine months after finding him guilty of deliberately starting the fire which destroyed his home in the city last September.

The free agent, who was released by Bayern at the end of last season and was said to have agreed terms with Lazio, was reported to be in a drunken state when the fire started in his home, shortly after his wife and children had left the building.

Germany's dpa agency quotes Breno telling the courtroom he was sorry for his actions just before the verdict was delivered.

"I would like to apologise for that night,'' he said. "I have not been a good role model. I am just a person who believes in God and thanks him for protecting my family.''

Breno's solicitor Werner Leitner had requested a suspended sentence, or a maximum two-year jail term should his client be found guilty of deliberately starting the blaze while prosecutors suggested an imprisonment of five-and-a-half years.

Judge Rosi Datzmann divided the recommendations with her sentencing, saying the accused had "burdened himself with guilt with this action'', and suggesting that Breno may be allowed to return to Brazil after two and a half years in a German prison.

Breno's former employers Bayern responded with a statement saying they "regret'' the judgement.

"Our hope was that Breno would have been able to continue his career as a footballer and, consequently, his life together with his family,'' said the statement. "FC Bayern will continue to support Breno.''

Dortmund Win Two in a Row

Borussia Dortmund secured their second successive Bundesliga title, and fifth overall, after comfortably beating their namesake Mönchengladbach 2-0 at home on Saturday evening.

Goals in each half from Ivan Perisic and Shinji Kagawa set the hosts on their way to victory in a match they controlled from start to finish, rounded off by the return of midfield starlet Mario Götze after four months out with injury.

The game began at a furious pace, with each side pressing the other high up the pitch so as not to let them build up any momentum. The tactics were very successful, with misplaced and inaccurate passes commonplace in the opening stages. However, inevitably the tempo subsided and the hosts started to exert more attacking influence over the game, breaking forward with precision and aggression. Robert Lewandowski came closest with a fierce drive from the edge of the box that skidded just wide. 

They very nearly scored from their next chance too, as Kagawa's scuffed shot trickled onto the post, allowing Lewandowski to collect the ball from the by-line, cut inside and smash a close-range shot goalwards, only to be foiled by an acrobatic block by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Yet for all their intricate build up play, when Dortmund did go in front it was from a set-piece. Marcel Schmelzer's in-swinging free kick from the left was met by Perisic eight yards out and the Croatian nodded in to deservedly put the hosts ahead.

There was not a lot to see from Gladbach going forward and on the rare occasions they succeeded in making it beyond the Dortmund midfield, the guests were caught out by a well-practiced offside trap. Ter Stegen kept Gladbach in the tie with a superb reaction save from Mats Hummels' close range flick after Schmelzer had lofted a pass over the defence following a corner. That proved to be the last of the goalmouth action, as Dortmund eased their way to a half time lead.

The match proceeded in much the same vein after the break, with the hosts dominating possession and making their visitors chase after the ball. However, after a swift counter-attack, Gladbach very nearly equalised when Marco Reus sublimely plucked the ball out of the air and flicked it over Schmelzer in the same motion, before rounding Roman Weidenfeller. Sadly for the Foals, Reus' touch was slightly too heavy and Schmelzer had got back in time to block on the line.

The game may have taken a different course had Reus scored, but in the ensuing attack, it was Dortmund who found the net. Lewandowski fed Kagawa in the box and the Japan international's touch took him beyond ter Stegen, allowing him to slot the ball into the empty net (59'). The Yellow-Blacks almost made it three with a carbon copy of their first goal, but this time ter Stegen blocked Lewandowski's header with another excellent save.

Götze, who had not played since mid-December, appeared for the final quarter of an hour to rapturous applause from the home crowd and immediately looked at home in the centre of the pitch. Dortmund were untroubled as they comfortably wound down the match, and the final whistle sparked roaring celebrations after a successful defence of their Bundesliga crown.

Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Gündogan (Leitner 73'), Kehl - Blaszczykowski (Bender 88'), Kagawa (Götze 73'), Perisic - Lewandowski

Gladbach: ter Stegen - Stranzl, Brouwers, Danet, Daems - Jantschke, Nordveit - Herrmann (Ring 64'), Arango (Wendt 69'), Hanke - Reus

Goals: 1-0 (Perisic 23'), 2-0 (Kagawa 59')

Source: Bundesliga

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Felix Magath Back at Wolfsburg

Magath back at Wolfsburg

Felix Magath's whirlwind week will culminate in a trip to Stuttgart on Sunday as his second stint at the Wolfsburg helm kicks off with a key encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Only 48 hours after leaving Schalke by mutual consent on Wednesday, Magath secured a return to the club he left two years ago to move to Gelsenkirchen.

Magath led the Wolves to an unexpected league title in 2009 but the club's fortunes have waned since his departure, and they head into tomorrow's match mired in the relegation zone after a run of four defeats in five since parting company with Steve McClaren last month.

Magath admits he needed no cajoling when the offer to return to the club came through.

"When I left Wolfsburg after the amazing success, there was a lot of sadness," he said.

"I was always happy here. Of course the contact from Wolfsburg a few days ago came as a surprise, but I did not have to consider it for a second," he said.

Magath has not had long to prepare the relegation-threatened Wolves for tomorrow's basement battle at another of his former clubs.

"Even if Stuttgart are on the rise, I am optimistic that we can win something there," he said.

"I know that this is not going to be an easy task. We are going to have to get to know each other and we want to get something straight away from this trip to Stuttgart."

Stuttgart have gone through seven coaches since Magath left them in 2004, having led them to second place in the Bundesliga and to several notable successes in the Champions League.

Three changes at the helm have been made this season alone, with Bruno Labbadia the current incumbent, and he is slightly worried about the changes at Wolfsburg.

"They may have the same players, but we don't know what kind of ideas Felix Magath has," he said.

"He had great success with Wolfsburg and he still knows the majority of the team.

"He is going to give them a spark and that is definitely going to be an interesting match."

Nevertheless, Labbadia will be concentrating on his own side and trying to win a fourth straight match.

"The three wins in a row have given us a good position in the battle for relegation and a fourth would be incredibly important," he said.

Tamas Hajnal is a slight doubt for Stuttgart due to a thigh strain, but Cacau could be back in the squad after opting not to undergo surgery on a niggling groin injury.

Marco Pezzaiuoli Joins 1899 Hoffenheim

Marco Pezzaiuoli has become new assistant manager of 1899 Hoffenheim. The 41-year-old has signed a contract until 2014 and will work together with Peter Zeidler to assist manager Ralf Rangnick.

"We are happy that we've managed to get one of the best coaches around in the form of Marco Pezzaiuoli. With him on board we want to further develop our philosophy of bringing through young players", said manager Ralf Rangnick. 

Marco Pezzaiuoli was most recently the manager of the German U17 national team, with whom he won the European Championship on home soil in 2009.