In a concession to Bayern, UEFA said it “understands the
reasons” why the club asked Munich prosecutors to open a criminal case for
defamation against two named officials whom it also asked UEFA to fire.
“Bayern Munich has been informed that, in order to clarify
the case, UEFA has already opened an internal investigation on the whole
matter,” the European football authority said in a statement.
Late on Wednesday, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino
responded to the legal suit by saying that Bayern was “over-reacting.” The tone
was calmer Thursday after the two sides arranged peace talks.
UEFA said its president Michel Platini and Infantino had an “open
and constructive conversation” with Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and
vice chairman Karl Hopfner.
“It was mentioned that, in the light of the recent press
coverage, UEFA understands the reasons for the reaction of Bayern Munich,” UEFA
said.
However, there was no suggestion that Bayern has dropped the
legal action, which followed a report published Wednesday on the website of
German magazine Stern.
It alleged that UEFA's head of disciplinary services Peter
Limacher and investigator Robin Boksic were behind unsubstantiated claims that
Bayern deliberately lost against Zenit St. Petersburg in the second leg of the
2008 UEFA Cup semifinals. Zenit won 4-0 in Russia after a 1-1 draw in Munich.
Rummenigge said he would not let anyone “sully the image and
reputation of Bayern.” “How we reacted was well-considered - it wasn't shooting
from the hip,” Rummenigge said after his club's 2-0 win over AS Roma in the
Champions League Wednesday night.
Rumors that the Zenit-Bayern game was fixed by Russian
mobsters circulated five months after it was played.
A Spanish judge investigating a Russian crime syndicate
provided information to prosecutors in Munich who decided there was too little
evidence to proceed.
UEFA has since appointed Limacher to lead its fight against
match-fixing, including cooperation with specialist police fraud officers in
Bochum, Germany, who are probing nearly 300 matches across Europe which are
suspected of being fixed for betting coups by a Croatian crime syndicate based
in Berlin.
UEFA said Wednesday that Limacher enjoyed its “entire trust,”
and that it would address allegations against Boksic by clarifying his role in
certain investigations.
