Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been given a lifetime membership by Eintracht Frankfurt due to his links to the Bundesliga club.
Ferguson scored a hat-trick against Frankfurt in his first game for Rangers, a pre-season friendly in 1967 which the Scottish giants won 5-3.
The 82-year-old was also a spectator at Ibrox when the two sides met in the semi-finals of the European Cup seven years earlier, the German club winning the second leg 6-3 to complete a 12-4 victory on aggregate.
“That was unbelievable,” Ferguson recalled in an interview published on Frankfurt’s website.
“In the first leg, Frankfurt beat Rangers 6-1. I was at the second leg when Eintracht came to Ibrox with 70,000 spectators.
“Of course we felt hopeful and told ourselves that Rangers could come back. In the end they lost again by six goals.
“I was a Rangers fan and only lived about 200 metres from Ibrox. I also attended the final (against Real Madrid at Hampden Park) and hoped Frankfurt would win as they had beaten Rangers.
“At the time I was 17 years old and played for Queens Park FC from Glasgow. It was a great game. (Richard) Kress scored the first goal. We said to ourselves, ‘wow, a great German team’.
“But then there were (Ferenc) Puskas, (Alfredo) Di Stefano and (Paco) Gento. I don’t think there will ever be another team as charismatic as the Real Madrid team at the time.
“Puskas scored four goals and Di Stefano three. They were fantastic players and the 7-3 win was an incredible game. There was no shame in losing this game. Frankfurt had proven itself in the semi-final against Rangers.”
Scotland will face Germany in the group stages of this summer’s European Championship and Ferguson was jokingly asked if the hosts had “an outside chance” of beating Steve Clarke’s side.
“No chance,” Ferguson said with a laugh. “Scotland isn’t that bad, you know. They have good midfielders, two good full-backs. There have only been difficulties in the striker position in recent years.”
Pioli says speculation over his Milan future is part of the job
Milan coach Stefano Pioli said criticism and speculation are part of his job, as he still does not know if he will remain in the role for next season.
Milan snapped a six-match winless streak with an emphatic 5-1 win over Cagliari on Saturday, yet the pressure remains on the Italian coach, with the Rossoneri only aiming for second place in Serie A after city rivals Inter became champions.
"We are a big club, there are big expectations, so fierce criticism is to be expected, just as ebullient praise is expected when you win," Pioli told Sky Sports.
"That is part of the job, you have to accept it all, or you do a different profession.
"I try to help the team to overcome difficult moments and play as well as possible. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes I got things wrong."
A section of Milan fans have been holding protests at matches, demanding clarity from the management regarding the club's plans after two seasons without silverware.
The club ended their Europa League campaign in the quarter-finals last month, losing at Roma.
Pioli added: "I am really sad about this situation, as we were so proud to create that symbiosis with the fans, which passed on positivity, energy and confidence.
"I have not yet talked to the club. We have another two rounds to go, the season is not over yet.
"I hope everyone around Milan can rediscover that harmony, enthusiasm and energy that helped us to achieve things that perhaps nobody believed were possible."
Terzic slams Mainz showing after Dortmund suffer Champions League hangover
Edin Terzic warned Borussia Dortmund must swiftly forget about their Champions League heroics in Paris after a 3-0 humbling by Mainz on Saturday.
Lee Jae-Sung twice punished a sloppy Dortmund performance after Leandro Barreiro had opened the scoring for relegation-battling Mainz in their Bundesliga clash.
That abject performance came after BVB managed a 1-0 away victory against Paris Saint-Germain, progressing to the Champions League final after a 2-0 aggregate victory over Luis Enrique's side.
Dortmund head coach Terzic was far from impressed after defeat against Mainz left his side four points adrift of fourth-placed RB Leipzig in the German top flight.
"Let's let Paris be Paris and talk about last week and this week," Terzic told Sky Sport Germany.
"The starting position was similar to last week. Except now we were always late and outnumbered.
"It was a deserved defeat, especially because of the first half."
Marco Reus echoed Terzic's sentiment after Dortmund came crashing back down to earth following their European success.
"If you see the first half, it's deserved, even at the highest level," the Dortmund veteran added.
"We expect more from ourselves. There was still a lot at stake for Mainz.
"It was important for us to continue to gain self-confidence. That just was not good today. This is a pity."
Dortmund will hope to respond when they host Darmstadt next Saturday before their Champions League final against Real Madrid on June 1 at Wembley Stadium.
Al Hilal crowned Saudi Pro League champions after Al Hazm hammering
Al Hilal secured their fourth straight Saudi Pro League title after Aleksandar Mitrovic starred in Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of bottom side Al Hazm.
Faiz Selemani restored parity after Mitrovic's 15th-minute opener at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, only for Jorge Jesus' hosts to roar back and be crowned champions with three games remaining.
Ahmed Al Juwaid's own goal handed the initiative back to the dominant Al Hilal, who led 4-1 at the break after Mitrovic added another to his tally and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was on target.
The second of Mitrovic's strikes took him to a team-leading 26 league goals this term as Al Hilal breezed to another title, moving an unassailable 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Jesus' side are unbeaten through all 31 games this season after securing their record-extending 19th top-flight crown in history, while Al Hazm need to win their last three matches to have any chance of staying up.
Al Hazm's relegation rivals Al Tai boosted their chances of survival in Saturday's earlier clash after a 1-1 draw away against Al Raed.
Al Tai are just a point away from 15th-placed Abha Club in their bid for top-flight safety after Ibrahim Al Nakhli's strike was cancelled out by Al Raed's Mohammed Fouzair in the second half.
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