Dortmund, Bayern battle hots up

Cape Town - Intense Bundesliga rivals Dortmund and Bayern Munich took their battles off the pitch over comments surrounding Marco Reus.

Bayern Munich have made the headlines in recent weeks over comments surrounding the future of Dortmund's leading player Marco Reus. 

Hans-Joachim Watzke, chairman of the Management Board at Dortmund, has now made a statement on this matter which appeared on the club's website:

“Borussia Dortmund has noted with some irritation that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is currently discussing internal BVB matters in a three-day rhythm in the media.

We are sure that every person interested in football knows what the intention of such statements is. Through his conduct, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is approving that the already tense relationship between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich is further damaged.

We, as an employer, will naturally remain committed to our policy of never discussing contract matters of our employees in the public.”

Tension remains high between the top two sides in Germany after Dortmund lost Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich on a free transfer this season. Lewandowski's loss came shortly after starlet Mario Goetze made the switch to Bayern at the end of the 2012/13 season.