Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit (A toast to cosy togetherness) is a traditional ditty sung by thousands of voices countless times every day at the Oktoberfest, and on Sunday FC Bayern followed the advice in the song. The traditional annual day out at the Oktoberfest centred on a couple of cosy hours in the company of the FCB family and toasts to an excellent first phase of the season. “We’re in a great position and played really well yesterday, so we can go for it today,” declared Thomas Müller.
The World Cup winner and almost all the players and officials were joined by their families and partners for the gathering at Käfer‘s Wiesn marquee. Müller is a native Bavarian but the club’s seven Oktoberfest debutants - Pepe Reina, Medhi Benatia, Juan Bernat, Xabi Alonso, Sebastian Rode, Robert Lewandowski and Sinan Kurt – looked just as smart in Lederhosen.
“It’s really enjoyable. I’ve seen pictures of the Oktoberfest but you have to experience it for yourself,” Alonso told FCB.tv. Reina, who had already paid a private visit to the fest a few days earlier, said he was “delighted to be here again. I really like it a lot. This is a day for us to enjoy and have some fun, and we can definitely have a drink too.”
Duty calls for Guardiola
Glasses were duly raised at the players’ tables, and the mood was just as congenial at the table where Pep Guardiola and his wide Cristina sat with chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and board directors Jan-Christian Dreesen, Andreas Jung, Jörg Wacker and Matthias Sammer. Club president Karl Hopfner and honorary president Franz Beckenbauer were there to join in the festivities.
Manuel Neuer arrived at the marquee a shade late after a delayed trip by subway train, Bastian Schweinsteiger was absent with tonsillitis and Guardiola was the first to leave at just after three pm, as the head coach set out for Turin in order to observe Bayern’s next Champions League opponents AS Roma. But the coach was the only man for whom duty called on the day as the rest of the party continued to toast success and togetherness.
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