Bayern, Bavaria commemorate icon Beckenbauer amid memorial proposals

Bayern Munich's team commemorated Franz Beckenbauer at Tuesday training amid first proposals over how to best honour the club and global football icon, who died on Sunday at age 78.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel and the players posed with a shirt saying "Danke Franz" (Thank you Franz) and with a jersey he wore in 1965 before training, and during the session donned black armbands.

The club said that their Allianz Arena would be illuminated with the same words "Danke Franz" over the next few evenings.

Club representatives are sign to a Bavarian state government book of condolence on Wednesday together with state Prime Minister Markus Söder, and interested members of the public can follow.

Beckenbauer played at Bayern 1964-77, winning their first four of 32 Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, three European Cups, plus one Cup Winners' Cup and Intercontinental Cup each. He briefly coached the team twice in the 1990s and was club president 1994-2009.

Considered among the best players of all time who redefined the sweeper position, Germany's Beckenbauer won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and again as a coach in 1990, one of only three men to achieve the feat.

In order to commemorate the man known as "Der Kaiser" (the emperor) in the best possible way, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wants a memorial service in Bayern's stadium, and Berti Vogts has proposed to name the German Cup after him in the future.

Rummenigge, who played with Beckenbauer at Bayern and was later club CEO, told Tuesday's Bild paper that Bayern owe their club icon Beckenbauer a worthy farewell.

"The whole world of football and beyond is mourning our friend Franz. Bayern should organize a memorial service for him in the stadium, which would never have existed without him," Rummenigge said.

Bild said that Rummenigge has talked about a possible memorial service in the Allianz Arena with Bayern's other former great Uli Hoeneß and that the club was looking into the matter. The arena seats 75,024 people.

The German Football Federation (DFB) said it would consult with his family and Bayern on how to honour Beckenbauer.

But a DFB spokesman said on Tuesday discussions would not start until after a period of mourning.

The DFB did not want to comment on the German Cup proposal from Vogts, who won the World Cup alongside Beckenbauer in 1974 and succeeded him as national team coach in 1990.

"It is important that his name is not forgotten by the next generation of footballers. Perhaps the DFB should think about naming the DFB Cup after Franz Beckenbauer, for example," Vogts told the Rheinische Post paper.

Vogts' idea was backed by former Germany player Olaf Thon and long-time Werder Bremen official Willi Lemke.

"German football would like that a lot," Lemke told Welt TV, saying that Vogts' idea was "certainly appropriate."

Lemke labelled honorary Germany captain Beckenbauer "the superstar of German football over the past decades" and "an absolute global star."

A tribute such as a minute's silence or applause is expected to be observed at weekend matches in the Bundesliga and other leagues but there was no official confirmation yet from the DFB and German Football League.

Borussia Dortmund and Belgian club Standard Liege observed a minute silence to honour Beckenbauer ahead of their friendly match on Tuesday in Spain.

The German football museum in Dortmund said it plans special events to commemorate Beckenbauer, including a digital condolence book and a wreath laid down under a Beckenbauer portrait in its Hall of Fame.

Tributes continued to arrive on Tuesday from Germany and abroad for Beckenbauer, who also played for New York Cosmos and SV Hamburg, and was chief organizer of the 2006 World Cup.

Ex-England great David Beckham said on Instagram that Beckenbauer was "a special person, special player and a true gentleman."

Former DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach told the ran.de portal: "No German personality was probably as well-known and recognized in the world as Franz.

"I particularly realized that before the 2006 World Cup when we visited the 31 qualified countries, starting in Tehran and ending in Sydney. This gesture earned us enormous sympathy as World Cup hosts, but was really only possible with Franz Beckenbauer."

Beckenbauer's long-time Munich and Germany team-mate, goalkeeper Sepp Maier, published an emotional farewell letter via broadcaster Sport1.

"I will never forget you - as a team-mate, sportsman and above all as a person. You were a pop star of German football. Every footballer can take a leaf out of your book when it comes to your elegance on the pitch. You were never aloof, but always remained a man of the people," Maier said.

"You were always a shining light for us, shining from above from now on. German football and I will really miss you. Goodbye, my friend."