VINCENT KOMPANY has told Harry Kane and his Bayern Munich teammates to go to a beer festival – and indulge in full.
Manchester City icon Kompany has made a heady start to his career in charge of the German giants.
Bayern are top of the Bundesliga after winning all three games, and they thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Kompany, 38, and his squad are due to attend Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest on Sunday.
He, England skipper Kane and fellow ex-Premier League stars Michael Olise, Joao Palhinha, Leroy Sane and Eric Dier will don lederhosen for the occasion.
Belgian Kompany said: “The Oktoberfest is important for the players’ families to experience a bit of Munich and Bavaria’s culture.
“The festival is important for a lot of people. We are looking forward to it, and we will join in.
“The day before is all about our game at Werder Bremen, but then we will witness some Bavarian culture.
“Drinking beer is all part of it. If the players want to have a beer on Sunday I’ve got no problem with it.
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“The main thing is that they are once again fit on Monday!
“Of course I’ll sometimes have a beer myself. I’m from Belgium, and the beer there is something special.
“A competition between Bavarian and Belgian beers would be at a pretty high level.
“I’ve never been to the Oktoberfest before, but I was in Munich with Manchester City while the festival was on.
“It was difficult even for City to find a hotel for our stay.”
A CHILLING new graphic shows the entire doomed final journey of the Titan sub – including the haunting last words of the five crew who died.
It comes as part of a two-week-long hearing into the tragedy that killed five people held in Charlestown, South Carolina, by the US Coast Guard.
The simulation video shows the MV Polar Prince transporting the Titan and its crew from St John’s, Newfoundland in Canada.
It then shows the vessel’s journey to the dive site above the Titanic wreck.
The Titan is then dropped into the ocean and begins to descend while speech bubbles appear showing conversations between crew and its support vessel.
Communication between the OceanGate submersible and the support ship suddenly stopped around an hour and 45 minutes into the deadly 150 minute descent.
The last words from crew to the support ship Polar Prince said everything was “all good here”.
Audio became more spotty as it descended, with the Polar Prince asking if the Titan could see the Titanic on its display.
The Titan was still able to send one message when the submersible was 3,341m deep – an hour-and-a-half after it began its journey.
The message read: “dropped two wts” and was sent at 10.47am.
Six seconds after the message was sent the Titan was pinged for the final time at a depth of 3,346m.
There was no communications between it and the Polar Prince mother ship the indicated any trouble or emergency on board the sub.
The Polar Prince began to realise the worst had happened when it sent a message to the Titan at 10.49am saying it had “lost tracking”.
They continued to message the doomed sub every two to three minutes, but by 11.15am they told the Polar Prince’s master there had been a loss of communication.
On board were British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush and French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
US authorities said a “catastrophic implosion” occurred, killing all on board instantly.
The coast guard were eventually called at 6.27pm after the Polar Prince had spent three hours searching.
“Presumed human remains” were recovered from the ocean floor in two recovery operations.
The remains were taken ashore and were matched with the profiles of the victims on board the submersible.
The hearing also heard that in 2018 the vessel was struck by lightning which left a “significant blow to the structure”.
That caused it to fail a test by a wide margin.
Rapid decompression also occurred during testing phases of the project years earlier, the hearing heard.
A bombshell new lawsuit claims the explorers knew they were going to die after a failed last bid to save themselves.
OceanGate, the company that built the Titan, released a statement offering their “deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died”.
The spokesperson said: “There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic accident.”
The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks.
This week at the hearing chilling new video of the doomed vessel was released, showing pieces of the Titan strewn across the ocean floor.
The harrowing footage of the remains shows “the aft dome, aft ring, remnants of the hull and carbon fibre debris”, the US Coast Guard said during proceedings.
Mission specialist Renata Rojas spoke before the panel on Thursday, breaking down as she described the loss of life.
She said she “never felt unsafe” onboard but “knew what [she] was doing was very risky”.
The specialist also added that “this was never sold as a Disney ride” and that “things happen and you have to adapt to change”.
It was also revealed that the doomed Titan sub crashed during a malfunction just days before it set off on a fatal dive that killed five, an ex-OceanGate chief has admitted.
Former scientific director Dr Steven Ross is testifying as part of an investigation into the “catastrophic implosion” of the vessel last June.
Dr Ross told officials on Thursday that days before the sub set off for the doomed Titanic trip, passengers onboard were thrown about during a mission malfunction.
The submersible pilot at the time, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading, Dr Ross said.
Speaking of the mission he said: “The rest of the passengers tumbled about.
“I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead. One passenger was hanging upside down.”
The other two onboard managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap, he added.
Dr Ross said that he did not know if an assessment of the Titan hull was performed after the incident.
Businessman Rush – who died in the sub tragedy – was reportedly warned about safety concerns ahead of the trip on June 18 last year.
Five men plunged beneath the surface of the North Atlantic in a homemade sub in the hopes of exploring the Titnaic wreckage last year.
Four passengers paid £195,000 to go on the sub, with the fifth member of the trip being a crew.
But what was supposed to be a short trip spiralled into days of agony as the doomed Titan vanished without a trace on June 18, 2023.
The daring mission had been months in the making – and almost didn’t happen at the hands of harsh weather conditions in Newfoundland, Canada.
In a now chilling Facebook post, passenger Hamish Harding wrote: “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.
“A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.”
It would be his final Facebook post.
The following morning, he and four others – led by Stockton Rush – began the 12,5000ft descent towards the bottom of the Atlantic.
But as it made its way down into the depths, the vessel lost all contact with its mother ship of the surface, the Polar Prince.
It sparked a frantic four day search for signs of life, with the hunt gripping the entire world.
There was hope that by some miracle, the crew was alive and desperately waiting to be saved.
But that sparked fears rescue teams were in a race against time as the sub only had a 96-hour oxygen supply when they set out, which would be quickly dwindling.
Then, when audio of banging sounds were detected under the water, it inspired hope that the victims were trapped and signalling to be rescued.
It heartbreakingly turned out that the banging noises were likely either ocean noises or from other search ships, the US Navy determined.
Countries around the world deployed their resources to aid the search, and within days the Odysseus remote-operated vehicle (ROV) was sent down to where the ghostly wreck of the Titanic sits.
The plan was for the ROV to hook onto the sub and bring it up 10,000ft, where it would meet another ROV before heading to the surface.
But any hopes of a phenomenal rescue were dashed when Odysseus came across a piece of debris from the sub around 1,600ft from the Titanic.
The rescue mission tragically then became a salvage task, and the heartbroken families of those on board were told the devastating news.
It was confirmed by the US Coast Guard that the sub has suffered a “catastrophic implosion”.
MAX VERSTAPPEN has been punished for swearing as the FIA look to steer away from bad language.
The Red Bull star was summoned to the stewards after his pre-race press conference on Thursday.
That’s because he breached rules regarding swearing after letting an F-bomb slip as he spoke to press.
Referring to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago, where Verstappen finished fifth, he said: “The car was f***ed.”
The Dutchman was summoned to the stewards for his comment, which was in breach of the sporting code.
Stewards at the Singapore Grand Prix decided that Verstappen has to “accomplish some work of public interest” for using language they deemed “coarse, rude or may cause offence”.
The details of the work Verstappen must do have to be agreed between him and the FIA.
A statement read: “The driver explained that the word used is ordinary in speech as he learned it, English not being his native language.
“While the stewards accept that this may be true, it is important for role models to learn to be mindful when speaking in public forums, in particular when not under any particular pressure.
“Verstappen apologised for his behaviour.”
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The sanction comes after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem warned against the use of foul language in the sport.
He said: “I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music.
“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].
“We have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people. And now with the technology, everything is going live and everything is going to be recorded. At the end of the day, we have to study that to see: do we minimise what is being said publicly?
“Because imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language. I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say? What would you teach them if that is your sport?”
COFFEE fans have been left devastated after Nescafé discontinued “lovely” drinks from its plant-based range.
The coffee giant confirmed it had axed almond, oat and coconut milk flat white coffee pods from its Dolce Gusto range.
The plant-based pods had been described as having “a great taste” and being “lovely for vegans”, by fans.
One shopper said the pods were “better than a coffee shop coffee”, and added “smooth and creamy! Absolutely delicious”.
Another said: “I’m beyond happy there’s finally a coffee pod that I can drink.”
The reviews were not universally positive though and others described the pods as “watery” and “bland”.
One said: “Awful taste and texture. I was really excited to try these too but please do not get it its nothing like the original flat white pods.”
The range had been launched in January 2021 and was the first plant-based pod offering in the UK and Ireland.
At the time brand manager Brandon Primozic said: “The pods are ideal for vegans or those looking for a more plant-based diet.”
Boxes of 12 pods were sold for around £4.75 on the Dolce Gusto website and through major supermarkets.
A spokesperson for Nescafé owner Nestlé said: “We made the decision to say goodbye to this range as part of a portfolio review.
“Whilst we understand that fans will be disappointed to see it go, this move allows us to concentrate on our best-performing products and develop exciting new innovations to delight consumers’ tastebuds.
“Plant-based coffee drinkers can still enjoy a cup of their favourite Nescafé Dolce Gusto with their own plant-based milk of choice.”
Brands frequently discontinue products or lines that aren’t performing.
Earlier this week Quorn confirmed it had axed its Uniquorns meat-free pieces to the disappointment of parents.
Last month Heinz removed its easy-to-use spray salad dressings from shelves, despite it being described as “fabulous” by shoppers.
Chocolate fans were also left disappointed in June when the popular Colin the Caterpillar in a jar disappeared from stores.
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are several reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
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CORONATION Street star Maureen Lipman is engaged to get married.
The actress, 78, asked boyfriend David Turner to marry her while they were on the train.
She explained that the couple were on their way home from event, when she decided last minute to pop the quesion.
Maureen wrote in the Spectator: “Later that night my partner David and I decided to tell our children that, with a combined age of 156, we are going to get married.
“Unable to resist the gag, I slid under the table separating us onto one knee and asked him for his hand. To my surprise and slight panic, he gave it.”
NEWBURY races have been hit by big delays after a colossal deluge and thunder hammered the track.
The first race of their International Weekend was due off at 1.25pm.
But the weather took an almighty turn for the worse with 5mm of rain falling in a matter of minutes.
The runners were back out into the pre-parade ring at around 1.40pm with the first race scheduled off at 1.55pm.
But the delay will have a knock-on effect to the rest of the eight-race card.
And it was anyone’s guess what the ground was truly like for the first, a 12-runner handicap over 6f.
A post from the racecourse on X read: “Horses are heading to the pre-parade ring with the intention of today’s racing commencing at 1:55pm.
“Following the delay, races will be run with shortened, 30 minute intervals.”
The first race was finally off at 1.57pm – a full 32 minutes later than planned.
More to follow.
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