THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Bayern Munich arrive in Doha

Philipp Lahm

German Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern Munich have arrived in Doha for their winter training camp.

The Germans arrived in the Qatari capital after a five-hour journey on a Lufthansa flight from Munich, before they checked-in at “The Grand Heritage” hotel. Mario Gómez, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Luis Gustavo and Takashi Usami, were already waiting for the team in Doha, as they travelled directly from their Christmas vacation to the Arab city.

The players and officials were welcomed with flowers by the hotel staff and ASPIRE officials at “The Grand Heritage”. The players had a first interaction with the locals and signed autographs for kids.

The players are aware of the excellent facilities at the ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence and they are expecting ideal conditions to prepare themselves for the title hunt at domestic and continental level. “It’s a great place to prepare for the rest of the season,” captain Philipp Lahm told fcbayern.de.

“It’s vital we put in good work in Doha and lay the foundations. It’s particularly important when you have as many games as we do,” midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger added.

Coach Jupp Heynckes and his wards had a first training session at the ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in the evening and they were able to get a first feeling of the surroundings.

Bayern will face Al Ahly Cairo (January 7) in a friendly match at Doha, before they continue their journey to India on January 9. The Germans will face the Indian national team in the “Audi Football Summit” at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi a day after their arrival.

Extensive coverage of the “Audi Football Summit” will be available at www.chrispd.de, while exclusive multimedia content will be provided at www.facebook.com/cpd81.

More information about the match and tickets are available at www.audifootballsummit.in!