Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has accused his club’s league rivals of coercing to make life difficult for the record German champions.

The Bundesliga season commences next month with Bayern’s World Cup winners in training for only a few weeks at that stage.

Rummenigge had requested at a meeting of club managers several months ago for a longer holiday to be given to those players involved in the World Cup by putting the start of the season back a week.

They dismissed his suggestion.

“The reason for that is that they saw it as the only chance to cause Bayern any problems,” Rummenigge told reporters yesterday.

“I would like to see a bit more solidarity among the clubs who sent a lot of players to the World Cup. Dortmund also sent eight or nine players.”

Bayern Munich were hardest hit by Germany’s success in the Brazil World Cup finals with seven players all involved in the final last Sunday.

They are not due to start pre-season training until the first week in August, leaving them only a few weeks to prepare for the start of the new season and Bayern’s opening clash with Wolfsburg on Friday, August 22.

That puts the record champions at a handicap, according to Rummenigge, who nevertheless believes his club have the best coach to deal with it in Pep Guardiola.

“Guardiola had this same experience in 2010 when he was in charge of Barcelona and many of his players came back late as world champions, but Barcelona still defended their league title and won the UEFA Champions League,” Rummenigge said.

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