Computer Hacker Sends Luca Toni to Dortmund

By: Daryl | July 24th, 2009

Luca Toni’s move from Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund was announced this week, much to the surprise of everyone involved. Including Luca Toni, Bayern and BVB.

Seems a computer hacker managed to get access to the BVB website and post the fake news story. There was a photo of Toni in a BVB shirt along with the news of the signing, plus a promise that (via Google Translate) “The autograph card signed by Luca Toni is unfortunately not yet available, but as soon as possible, replaced …”

The whole thing has since been taken down now of course. But there’s a screenshot of Toni on the BVB site after the jump…

I can’t decide whether this is hilarious or very very cruel. It’s maybe both. But I can imagine there were some very disappointed BVB fans who read the news this week, only to later find out it was all a hoax.

However, Luca Toni might still be on the move. Recent reports have him training with the reserves as new Bayern boss Louis van Gaal is unimpressed with the 31 year old’s fitness. I say BVB should put in a bid. After all, they’ve already got the story ready to go.

By the way, we’re still looking for a blogger to captain BVB Offside. No hackers please.

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Category: World Football

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Mike

This story is really funny but not true!
- No hacker accessed the BVB website!
- No hacker faked the picture of Toni in a BVB shirt!

According to BILDblog.de (a critical source watching the German newspapers, see http://bit.ly/nPuVR) the story is quite simple:
- the BVB website uses an external database which contains information about ALL players that ever played in the Bundesliga (according to the BVB IT department)
- the information about any of those players can be displayed within the BVB website by manipulating the URL path (but nothing about the player joining BVB is shown there!)
- this is what some BVB supporters did in the BVB-Fanforum (http://bit.ly/sepL9) for fun
- somehow Bild.de got hold of this "URL-manipulation-story" and made up the story of a hacker; since there was no exciting picture of Toni available they made up the above mentioned picture of Toni in a BVB shirt as well

The whole hacker story moved quite quickly through the media in Germany and obviously also in the UK...
Juliet

Classic! The picture they chose is hilarious. Takes on a different meaning if Dortmund's hated rivals Schalke are behind this. ;-D

I had no idea Toni had been demoted! Dang. I've long been of the opinion that it was time for Toni to find greener pastures, but I'd assumed he'd go with his dignity intact... Demotion just sounds like another way of saying "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
areallaticfromthesouth

Too late for an April Fool. So there is one sad MF out there with nothing better to do.