ACTUALITE |
26.07.2002
German soccer Kaiser splits with wife
MUNICH
German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer said Thursday he was leaving his wife of 12 years to devote more time to his illegitimate son.
The 54-year-old Beckenbauer, known affectionately as the "Kaiser", said he and his wife Sybille had made the decision to end their marriage "after long and careful consideration," in a statement released to the press.
"We reached the agreement together to separate in fairness and friendship," Beckenbauer said.
"Key to this decision was my wish to spend more time than I have with my son who was born in August 2000. I feel responsible for him."
Beckenbauer, currently president of the Bayern Munich club, shocked fans in November 2000 with the news he had fathered the child, Noel Maximilian, with a former secretary for the team.
He is Beckenbauer`s fourth child.
Thursday`s announcement marked the third major split-up in the German sports world in the last several months, following the messy end of the marriages of tennis great Boris Becker and soccer star Stefan Effenberg.
Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup winner as a player in 1974 and as manager 16 years later, is president of the organizing committee of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
|
|
Hits: 1 | Source:Dailysoccer | |
|
|
|
|
| |