Soundoff: Who Will You Support in the Champions League Final – Inter or Bayern?

By: Daryl | May 21st, 2010

support The Champions League final is tomorrow. You already know this. But who will you be supporting?

Obviously if you’re a Bayern or Inter fan, then this is an easy question to answer. You’ll support your team like you always do. Only more so, because it’s a big big day.

If you have no affiliation with either team, then it’s a personal choice. You’re either going to watch as a complete neutral, or something will sway you on way or the other. Maybe you either actively like or dislike Jose Mourinho for example. It’s your call.

Where it gets complicated is if you’re a fan of a rival Serie A or Bundesliga team. Here’s why…

Both teams – Bayern and Inter – have arguably as many people cheering against them as they do for them in their domestic leagues. For the most part, this is as a result of being successful (eg, the FC Hollywood nickname for Bayern). And so whenever a big team like that reaches a European final, rival fans have to decide what comes first: your desire to see that big team lose, or your desire to see your country well represented.

There’s an extra factor in that equation this year, in the form of UEFA co-efficients.

According to the Times of India (always my first stop for facts about UEFA) the co-efficient calculations of the 2010 Champions League final work like this:

If [Bayern] win or draw after 120 minutes four Bundesliga clubs will enter the Champions League pots form the 2011/12 season at the expense of one Italian team.

Under UEFA’s coefficient rules, Inter must win without penalties to ensure Serie A keeps four Champions League slots, one of which is a qualifying round berth.

Bayern reminded other Bundesliga fans of this fact yesterday with an open letter – signed by the players – asking all German football fans to be Bayern football fans for the Champions League Final. Inter could easily have done the same.

So, who will everyone be supporting on Satuday? And more importantly, why?

Champions League Final kicks off at 20:45pm CET (7:45pm GMT, 2:45pm US Eastern). I’ll be (very neutrally) LiveBlogging here on The Offside front page and you are cordially invited to join me.

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Category: Champions League

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vignesh

watch form latest video of Robben comments on mouirhno

very much funny

also team lead up of inter and bayern for CL finals

and UEFA prseident about future champions league format at

http://sports4ready.blogspot.c...
Johonna

Luka: yes, all the time.
ajR4E

why times of india?
Luka

I want Bayern to win, but wouldn't be disappointed if Inter won it ONLY and ONLY because Zanetti deserves it. Unfortunately if Inter do win it, it will all be about Mourinho (has Mourinho ever said anything good about Zanetti?).
Jose

Whenever you hear somebody talk about having a team in every big league ("I support ManU, Real Madrid and AC Milan"), you're not talking to a real fan of any of those teams.

Anyhow, I'm rooting for Bayern because a) underdog, b) I'd enjoy a switch in coefficients, and c) Mourinho is special POS.
Joshua

I'm pulling for Bayern. I am surely not an Inter fan, and not a Mourinho fan either. I usually pull for the underdog in a final where my team is not in it, so I will continue that trend this weekend.
Angus Jung

@Martin "How can you possibly root for Chelsea AND Barca? Isn’t that a bit like enjoying the collected works of Proust AND the filmography of Michael Bay?"

Exactly! How dirty and shameful it must feel to watch those arrogant, cheating, whining jerks at the Nou Camp after watching the sublime CFC. Not to mention you always have La Liga's $4 billion in debt in the back of your mind. Thank god CFC is run well and doesn't have to worry about those things.
d

I'm a milan fan
hardest.decision.ever.
ive decided to root for mourihno, not inter
Sause

I really don't see Bayern pulling it off.

As A Roma\Italian fan I'm halfheartedly looking for Inter to win. I think it will be a good game but Inter will take it home.

Congrads in advance Inter!!!
Trevor

I'll be rooting for Bayern, more for a desire to see the underdog win than anything else. Plus I would enjoy seeing Jose have to suck in his ego just a bit.
Yasmin

Inter!!! I am Inter fan through and through, and they really deserve it, and all the Inter fans deserve it after so many years of disappointment and/or supporting another team in the final.
Wicked1

I'll be rooting for Inter, evevnthough I usually go against the team that put my team out, which Inter did-Chelsea & Barca, but I love Mourinho. I also feel Bayern were lucky to get to the Final, except for the last round. I think Inter are the better team & Jose is the better coach & Bayern without Ribery is at a disadvantage. My SerieA team is AC Milan, but for the purpose of this game, I'm goin with Inter, hahaha
cap123

Bayern since they are the more respectable of the two, and spend less time on the floor.
Angus Jung

As a Chelsea and Germany fan, I am hoping Inter win on penalties. That way Mourinho gets his win and Germany gets the 4th CL spot they deserve.
Ibracadabra

I'll be supporting Inter. The Mourinho factor does it for me. Sorry Bayern fans, but the Special One is just special and I'd love to see that ego grow and grow even bigger to the size of possible explosion...