German All Stars celebrate division championship title 2013

After weeks of uncertainty and last minute set-backs in the title race, the German All Stars were able to seal the deal and celebrate the 2013 champions title of division 2 in the Bangkok Casuals Football League this Sunday, May 26th.

After the three-pointer against Bangkok United Japan in the week before, GAS had to also win against iPlay to make sure Siam Celtics won’t be able to pull ahead in case they win their remaining matches. Despite the German Champions League Final the night before, a complete squad of fully motivated players showed up to fight their very own match of the year. Sadly though, we were not allowed to prove on the field that we are deserved title winners. After a very concentrated warm-up, the starting eleven was ready to kick-off, but the opponents of iPlay weren’t able to send a squad on the field. After the referees decided to wait for potential latecomers, the game was eventually declared cancelled which automatically meant a 3:0 walkover. Since our opponents didn’t request to postpone the game in advance, the officials had no choice but to act in accordance to the Bangkok Casuals League Rule Book (“If a team does not agree a reschedule, or does not contest a match, the opposition will be awarded a 3-0 walkover win”).

It cannot be stressed enough that every single German All Star was not happy with the way these three points were achieved and all players wanted to win the game in a more sportsmanlike manner. However, the team obviously cannot be blamed for this as they were ready to play and couldn’t change anything about the situation. Despite the unpleasant aftertaste of this walkover win, a season title isn’t decided in only one game. Looking at the overall season, it can proudly be said that the title was fully deserved, especially considering that all title competitors were also awarded walkover points throughout the season. Keeping the good season and great team spirit in mind, the anger about not being able to compete was soon to be forgotten. After a 40-minute friendly, the season’s ending celebration started off with a BBQ. Clearly, Ivan deserved the Man of the Grill Award. Being active throughout the whole 80 minutes of grilling, Ivan showed full dedication and delivered his team mates with some juicy meat. Great performance!

At this point, it’s also time to thank everybody who helped making this season such a success. We thank friends and family for visiting our games and support us, the coaches and the whole club for dedicating their time and effort, and last but certainly not least all our sponsors who are doing a great effort in supporting our club (Pan Asia Logistics, Häfele and Bangkok Hospital Medical Center). Thank you all!

Although the season has come to an end, the German All Stars have a busy schedule in the coming weeks. This weekend already, GAS will travel to the South of Thailand to participate in the Songhkla Seven’s tournament before the whole team is invited by one of our main sponsors to officially celebrate with another BBQ. Then, in mid June, the annual season’s end trip to Ko Samet will be the appropriate ending to a successful and fun season.