Max Eberl admits he asked referee Tobias Stieler about Bayern Munich’s UCL opponent Sporting CP

The footballing schedule is relentless, with one fixture after another raining down on Bayern Munich. It means that, once one games has been played, the focus on the other needs to start right away. Still, it is not often that people focus on their next goal as quickly as Bayern’s board member for sport, Max Eberl, did. For after the Bavarians’ 5-0 win against VFB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, Eberl immediately turned to the center referee of the match, Tobias Stieler, and asked him about upcoming Champions League opponents Sporting CP.

“Sporting have a very, very good team. To be honest, I spoke to the referee [Tobias Stieler] about it, because Mr. Stieler had officiated Sporting against Brugge,” the former Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director explained, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “And he said that they are a very, very good team. We know how games against [Sporting’s domestic rivals] Benfica go, and things won’t be any different against Sporting.”

That is certainly a unique strategy on getting information on an opponent.