Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinstweiger was reprimanded on Friday for lambasting a journalist before turning his anger on teammate Arjen Robben during a press conference.

With Bayern set to take on arch-rivals Schalke 04 in a highly-charged league match on Saturday, Schweinsteiger raged at a reporter during a press conference, but his words have drawn criticism from Bayern’s chairman.

The 26-year-old stormed out of the conference room, only to return to criticise Robben, who the day before had questioned Schweinsteiger’s lack of authority as captain.

Even though Scahlke lost to Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League, keeper Manuel Neuer, who has 17 caps for the national team, received high praise from none other than United coach Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson said Manuel Neuer’s performance against Manchester United may be the finest he has come up against in his 25 years at the club.

United were dominant at Schalke in Tuesday’s semi-final first leg and produced a catalogue of clear-cut chances, but they were unable to beat Neuer during the first-half.

Goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn has been fined €125,000 for attempted tax evasion after bringing clothes worth nearly €7,000 into the country without declaring it.

The district court in Landshut confirmed on Thursday that the former national goalkeeper had been found guilty and fined.

While the world awaits Britain’s high profile wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Cologne has unknowingly hosted their own version of a “royal wedding”.

Bild reported that ‘Prince Poldi’ has secretly married his longtime girlfriend Monika Puchalska on Monday.

Coach Joachim Löw said on Sunday he is impressed with the recent form of former captain Michael Ballack as the 34-year-old looks to return to international football.

Ballack made the last of his 98 appearances for Germany in the pre-World Cup friendly with Argentina in March 2010 before suffering back-to-back injuries.

Having damaged his ankle playing for Chelsea in last May’s FA Cup final, which kept him out of the 2010 World Cup, Ballack then fractured a leg in September after returning to play in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen. He returned to action in January, but Löw has repeatedly said the battling midfielder will need to win back his place in the national side.

Bayern Munich have sacked coach Louis van Gaal with immediate effect, the Bundesliga club confirmed on Sunday morning.

The German club had already announced that Van Gaal would be replaced by Bayer Leverkusen’s Jupp Heynckes at the end of the season, but a draw at Nurnberg on Saturday has prompted them into action prematurely.

A 1-1 draw saw Bayern concede third place, and Champions League qualification, to Hannover with only five games remaining in the Bundesliga season.

Bayern chose to dismiss Van Gaal following the result, with his assistant Andries Jonker taking charge for the remainder of the season.

Coach Joachim Löw has angered the boss of the Bundesliga after criticising the standard of the German league.

Löw has admitted he is not impressed that Schalke 04 are the only German league side to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season and said: “that doesn’t say much for the Bundesliga”.