Bayern Munich's Club World Cup rivals missing several players as they didn't have enough annual leave left from day jobs
BAYERN MUNICH's opening Club World Cup opponents are facing a major crisis after several of their players failed to get holidays to play in the tournament.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga champions will face amateur
New Zealand
side Auckland City in Cincinnati on Sunday evening.
4
Amateu side Auckland City are without several players for the Club World Cup as they were denied annual leave
Credit: GETTY
4
Auckland's players have full-time jobs, with Conor Terry being a forklift operator
Credit: CONOR TERY
4
Skipper Mario Ilich is a salesman for Coca-Cola
Credit: MARIO ILICH
Auckland have been drawn in a group of death along with Bayern,
And their slim chances of making the last 16 have been rocked by several of their players not being able to travel to America due to their job requirements back home.
Interim head coach Paul Posa said: "All of the players have other
jobs
alongside their football commitments.
"However, they have an extraordinary dedication to their football outside of their working hours.
READ MORE CLUB WORLD CUP NEWS
"Players have had to take annual leave from their jobs.
"Indeed, some of the players were unable to take time to attend both the OFC Champions League competition and the Club World Cup."
Auckland's squad is made up of forklift drivers, a fizzy drink salesman, real estate agents and a warehouse manager.
Reflecting on Auckland's group of death, Posa added: "It's quite possibly the toughest group we could have drawn.
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"We have two traditional European powerhouses in
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4
The odds may be stacked against Auckland, but Posa, who is in temporary charge of the side due to Albert Riera's absence, has a
history
of Club World Cup upsets.
During his first stint with the club, Posa guided Auckland to a fifth-placed finish in the 2009 Club World Cup.
Chelsea finally discover Club World Cup opponents as former star, 38, assists dramatic winner to set up reunion
Posa would love nothing more than to repeat his success, but is a realist when it comes to his side's chances of doing so.
"It's
nice
to dream we could be that competitive again," he said. "However, we're realistic about
the challenge
."
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Watching someone win a couple of medals will hopefully inspire a few others to get involved.' With World Championships in Tokyo in September the major focus now, O'Connor will hope to continue breaking new ground. She's currently ranked ninth so nailed on to qualify, and preparations will ramp up through the summer. O'Connor celebrating after a huge shot putt at worlds. Nikola Krstic / INPHO Nikola Krstic / INPHO / INPHO Finishing her dissertation is almost another event thrown in, she laughs, and an overseas training camp beckons before World University Games in Germany in July. She'll compete more in August, while aiming to stay fit and healthy, enjoy athletics and all the madness that now comes with it: BBC ads, role model status, and the likes. 'It's definitely different, and something that I'm still probably getting used to. But it's lovely,' O'Connor concludes. 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