Bayern own-goal
January 27, 2012
Bayern Munich apologized on Friday after a publicity campaign to boost its Facebook fan figures left supporters feeling angry and disappointed.
Fans were asked to click the social networking site's "like" button to find out the name of a "spectacular new signing" - only to find out that he did not actually exist.
"Based on the many comments we received, there are many Facebook fans of Bayern Munich who were not happy with our action," the club said in a statement. "We are sorry. It was not our intention to disappoint."
Bayern had announced on its website that the new striker's name would be revealed at 2 p.m. on Thursday, directing fans to watch a press conference streamed exclusively on Facebook. To see the proceedings, fans were told they needed to include Bayern in their "like" settings.
Instead of learning the star's identity, fans were presented with an app called "The New FCB Star" and a message that left many disappointed.
"Dear fans, you probably already noticed that we did not sign a new player," the message read. "Each Bayern fan is the 'spectacular new signing,' our 12th man!"
The publicity stunt, which comes after Bayern suffered a 3-1 defeat last weekend to Borussia Mönchengladbach, was met with angry posts from supporters.
"It could not be more ridiculous," wrote one soccer fan. "There was nothing funny about last week's performance so start playing better instead of wasting your time on jokes."
Bayern has been trying to boost its Facebook page after announcing last month that it had hit the 1-million-fan mark.
Author: Richard Connor (AP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Nancy Isenson