| Allegations of FC Sudwerk move denied By Andreas Agocs Sports Writer DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 9 (Reuters) -- German professional soccer club FC St. Pauli on Thursday denied allegations that it was involved in a planned acquisition of Northern California club FC Sudwerk by beermaker St. Pauli Girl. The reported takeover turned out to be part of a clever promotional campaign, with the beermaker trying to capitalize on FC Sudwerk's popularity to boost its presence in the Northern California market. According to market analysts, St. Pauli Girl, known for its annual "Girl of the year" contests, had a robust 2001, but is struggling in the competitive Northern California market, with its demanding and sophisticated beer consumer base. "A cheap beer with a horrible taste," St. Pauli Girl was described by a representative Sacramento beerdrinker in a recent poll. FC St. Pauli, the soccer club named after the famous Hamburg port and red-light district, stressed on its Web site that it has no relations to the Chicago-based beer-importer. FC St. Pauli's fans are known in Germany for their alternative, left-leaning politics, and the club's atmospheric Millerntor stadium is dubbed the "bawdy house of the Bundesliga." At home games, the stadium's stands are usually blanketed with black anarchist flags and pirate banners. While many other European soccer club scenes are troubled by right-wing fan violence, FC St. Pauli and its fanclubs participate in a number of anti-racist, multicultural activities. The club was relegated to the second Bundesliga last season. The rumors about a German takeover of FC Sudwerk come in the wake of heightened interest of German clubs in American soccer players. The Bundesliga's interest in American soccer was sparked by the World Cup quarterfinal game between Germany and the U.S., in which many observers saw the U.S. side as the better team, despite ultimately losing 1-0. After Bayer Leverkusen's unsuccessful attempt at luring U.S. star Landon Donovan back to Germany, the Champions League runner-up has reportedly been engaged in negotiations to return ex-Borussia Dortmund star Andreas Agocs to the Bundesliga. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the Sudwerk midfielder was supposed to replace Leverkusen playmaker Michael Ballack, who is transferring to Bundesliga rival Bayern Munich next season. "At Dortmund I was told that I was getting too old and slow for the pace of the Bundesliga," Agocs told FCSudwerk.com, "now they suddenly want me back. But I'm loyal to my fans in California, and FC Sudwerk is the best-managed club I've ever played for." Agocs' decision to stay in California comes as a relief to FC Sudwerk, which already lost record goalscorer Bruce Berry to Bundesliga side Hertha B erlin at the end of last season. While the reports of the planned corporate takeover of FC Sudwerk turned out to be false, speculations continue to center around the club's finances. Many observers expect the brewery-backed club to go public soon. Before any public bid, however, the club would have to disclose its finances before the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC is especially interested in the accounting practices of FC Sudwerk's financial investment advisor Joncarlo Mark and the auditing firm Chris Lief LLP, which also provides consulting services to the club. The club lost millions last year after Mark's ill-fated decision to invest a majority of the club's assets in South American fruit plantations. The SEC will also look into Mark's practice of declaring several thousand gallons of Sudwerk Maerzen beer as tax-exempt "capital expenses." "Our players are our capital," Sudwerk president and CEO Ramal Werdna defended the practice in front of reporters, "every glass of Sudwerk Maerzen that our players consume is a capital investment." It is uncertain if the SEC will accept Werdna's justification, given the current climate of corporate scandals. Speculations also surround Werdna's own role in the club's controversial financial dealings, especially after media reports of his acquisition of a lavish mansion and estate in Woodland, California. Werdna is currently in the process of constructing a private full-size soccer field on his estate, an extravaganza previously unheard of in this small Northern California farming town. "I guess much of this scrutiny just comes with becoming an established club with global operations," Werdna explained on FCSudwerk.com. "Now that we passed our one-year anniversary, we have to get used to the same kind of media and public attention as Real Madrid or Manchester United." ## |