Fri Mar 14 13:57:26 2008

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Bayern Munich suspends Demichelis indefinitely

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Munich, Germany (Sports Network) - Bayern Munich suspended Argentine Martin Demichelis on Friday indefinitely for refusing to play midfield in Saturday's Bundesliga match at Energie.

Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld left the defender off the team's squad and as part of his penalty, Demichelis will not attend the club's matches or training.

"Players do not choose where they want to play. It is not a request show, it remains exclusively a decision for the coach, and I acted accordingly," the Bayern manager told the club's website.

Demichelis played in midfield in Bayern's last two league matches, but refused to play there again.

"Unfortunately, the player let his emotions run away with him. I was left with no choice but not to take Martin to Cottbus and to suspend him from training until further notice," Hitzfeld said.

Bayern will use Lucio and Daniel van Buyten in central defense, a pairing that has worked well recently.

"Daniel van Buyten has improved considerably since the winter break," Hitzfeld said, "and he and Lucio are first-choice at the moment."