Bayern Munich captain Stefan Effenberg has been dropped from coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's lineup for Saturday's match against Hertha Berlin because of his criticism of unemployed people.
Outrage over the comments by the millionaire soccer star, who said that most jobless people were too lazy to look for work because unemployment benefits were too generous, has swept the country and even spilled into the German election campaign.
"The match against Hertha is so important for us and we need the complete support of the crowd for it," said Hitzfeld of the home match in Munich's Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams are battling for third place in the league and a spot in next season's Champions League.
"I hope and expect that the fans will help us to get the three important points in the battle for a Champions League qualification spot," Hitzfeld said.
Hitzfeld had earlier joined a chorus of criticism against Effenberg for calling most unemployed people lazy.
"It wasn't smart of him to make comments like that," Hitzfeld had said earlier before announcing the midfielder would be on the bench tomorrow.
"It's a burden for the whole team," he added. "But I hope that they can shake it off and concentrate on the match. Effenberg didn't do us any favours with the remarks."
Effenberg, who earns a reported €4 million a year, has refused to apologise for his remarks but political leaders and union bosses have condemned them as tactless.