German Cup Final: Varela tattoo farce disrupts Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt have told defender Guillermo Varela he will never play for the club again after the Uruguayan got a tattoo on Monday against the instructions of the club. It became infected, ruling him out of the German Cup final against Dortmund.

"Guillermo's time at Eintracht is over. The club can not tolerate a player ignoring the instructions of the coach and doctors," sporting director Fredi Bobic said in a statement on Wednesday, making clear that Varela's loan from Manchester United would not be extended.

"Harming the team with such egotistic behavior has forced us to take these measures," Bobic added.

The tattoo saga sums up Eintracht's second half of the campaign, where the only bright spot has been their run to the final. Their Bundesliga form badly tailed off after a strong start.

Eintracht coach Nico Kovac needs a big performance on Saturday to salvage the season but his opposite number in the dugout in Berlin could also be facing a pivotal game.

Double farewell?

Rumors abound that Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the club following the game. Media reports say his relationship with chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has soured, not least because of the handling of the aftermath of the Dortmund bus bomb. Tuchel did not want to play the re-arranged Champions League game with Monaco just a day later but Watzke approved it and Dortmund lost.

There is also the specter of Tuchel being in the running for the Arsenal job, should Arsene Wenger depart the London club.  

"The season is not over and can be crowned in Berlin," Tuchel said last weekend. 

It could be a double farewell for Dortmund supporters if star striker and Bundesliga top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves in the summer transfer window.

Paris St. Germain and Chinese clubs have been linked with a big-money move for the Gabon international, who has also made no secret of his admiration for Real Madrid.

His contract runs until 2020 but his future is very much up in the air.

"We'll see. We have one game left. I will talk to the club," he said after Dortmund secured an automatic Champions League berth through the Bundesliga last Saturday.

The German Cup final is also important for Freiburg. If Dortmund win, having already qualified for the Champions League, Freiburg would take a Europa League berth by virtue of finishing seventh in the league. A victory for Eintracht would send them into Europe's second-tier competition.