End of Germany’s football scandal-romance

8 September 2004 

HAMBURG – A romance which scandalised German football more than two years ago has come to an end, with former Bayern Munich star Stefan Effenberg and his girlfriend Claudia Strunz – who was the wife of a teammate – now splitting up, Bild reported Wednesday.

In the front-page story, the two traded accusations about what went wrong.

“She drew a line at the bottom of our relationship and left me,” claimed the 36-year-old Effenberg.

The Effenberg-Strunz romance became a public scandal in early 2002 when each left their spouses to pursue their romance. At the time, Effenberg was a Bayern teammate with fellow-midfielder Thomas Strunz.

Claudia Strunz, 38, gave Bild newspaper a different version of what went wrong, saying it was because Effenberg had called off their wedding planned for August.

“I was deeply hurt by the cancelled wedding,” she said. “A lot of tears have been shed.”

The couple had been living together in Fort Myers, Florida in the United States along with Claudia’s two children. Effenberg said this had become a problem factor in the relationship.

“Problems kept arising that I had to live here in America with Claudia’s kids, while I was only able to see my children now and then,” said Effenberg, who has three children by his first wife and business manager, Martina.

“I just couldn’t cope with this situation,” he said, while insisting that he and Claudia Strunz had separated on good terms.

Asked whether he might return to his ex-wife Martina, Effenberg said “no” and that he aims to remain in America.

Claudia Strunz said she planned to return to Germany with her two children.

“My children are now the most important matter for me,” she told Bild newspaper.

DPA

Subject: German news