FIFA Updates

STUTTGART, Germany (AP)—As his players celebrated the 3-0 win over Lyon and a
place in the Champions League final, Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal had one
piece of advice for them.

He told his team to “think of Bochum.”

Bochum is Bayern’s opponent on Saturday in the Bundesliga, and the architect
of Bayern’s amazing progress through the season did not want his players to
relax too much.

Although Bayern is four games away from completing a treble, the team could
still end up empty-handed. But a win Saturday at its own stadium would all but
secure the Bundesliga title.

The David Beckham Academy in Carson, Calif. shut down shortly before Christmas with no official announcement, according to a report in the Daily Breeze.

A branch in London previously closed with very little fanfare. Both were jointly run by Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and 19 Entertainment, Beckham’s management team. The closure in California cost a handful of full-time staff their jobs.

“The David Beckham Academy will no longer operate its Los Angeles location,” said a memo from AEG spokesman Michael Roth, which the Daily Breeze’s Nick Green unearthed. “Planning is currently under way with David and senior coaches to develop a program and coaching model that will move beyond the limits of one location and ultimately impact more children in more cities across the United States and worldwide.”

Attendance never reached anticipated levels and frequency of camps decreased steadily until the  academy closed.

Talk all things soccer with the rest of our readers in the Goal.com Forums

Go to Goal.com for the world’s most comprehensive soccer coverage.