New Bayern Munich coach PEP GUARDIOLA "held his first official press conference in his new position," according to BILD. Ahead of the press conference, people "were speculating the Spaniard might answer a couple of questions in German." Guardiola, however, "surprised everybody and held the press conference almost exclusively in German." Guardiola: "Good day. Please excuse my German. I've learnt German for a year in New York, but that's not the best place to learn German." The 42-year-old "has reportedly learnt German with the help of a tutor from N.Y.'s Goethe Institute." The tutor "was reportedly a Borussia Dortmund fan." Besides Guardiola, Bayern President ULI HOENEß, Exec Chair KARL-HEINZ RUMMENIGGE and Sports Dir MATTHIAS SAMMER were also part of the press conference (BILD, 6/24). MARCA reported that Guardiola said that "it is a gift for me to be here, it is an opportunity that they have given me." He said he chose Bayern because "of its players and its history." Guardiola: "The history of Bayern makes it special. When Bayern calls you, it is a great honor. This is why I decided to come here. My time with Barcelona was marvelous, but I needed a new challenge and Bayern Munich has given me this possibility" (MARCA, 6/24).
