"A catastrophe!": Uli Hoeneß fumes after Bayern slip-up over "joke of the year"

Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß has responded to the record champions missing out on top spot with clear criticism of the scheduling of international matches.

"A two-week break just four weeks after the start of the Bundesliga is a catastrophe," Hoeneß said in Bild about the lengthy international break: "We had 18 players travelling. It is perfectly normal for the rhythm to be lost."

On Saturday, Bayern could only manage a 2-2 (0-1) draw at FC Augsburg and missed the chance to climb above Borussia Dortmund in the table. The Bundesliga had never before paused for so long during an ongoing season because of the Nations League. Yet it is not UEFA, criticised by Hoeneß over the issue, but world governing body FIFA that is responsible for the calendar.

Still, Hoeneß raged that "The clubs" must "finally assert themselves, because we pay the players and not the national teams". He called UEFA's preference for a "silly competition like the Nations League" "the joke of the year". Hoeneß also stressed that Bayern were "the big losers of this long World Cup", because the tournament had left little time for preparation.

In contrast, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen had praised the new calendar. It is "better for club football" and the right path for everyone involved, he said in September on Sky.