Karimi's encounter against his Iranian counterpart, Mehdi Mahdavikia, lasted only 15 minutes. In a game which was played under blizzard-like conditions between Bayern Munich and Hamburg at the Allianz Arena, Karimi was subbed into the game at halftime only to be forced out in the 61st minute after an akward challenge.

After the game we contacted Ali Karimi's manager, Abolfazl Jalali, to find out about the severity of Karimi's injury. Jalali who is currently in Germany was at the hospital with Ali.  He said: 'Karimi has sustained an injury to his right ankle.  Fortunately, the X-rays have shown that there is no fracture to the bone.  However, there is excessive swelling which could mean that Karimi would have to refrain from playing for a few weeks.' Jalali also reported: 'Branko Ivancovic was present in the stadium and was concerned about Karimi's injury bearing in mind that the World Cup is only about 3 months away. We are currently at the hospital and Mehdi Mahdavikia has visited us to find out about Karimi's status. The other Bayern players have also either visited or sent their wishes for a speedy recovery to Ali.'

The game concluded 2-1 in favour of Hamburg ending Bayern's undefeated spell at home. 

Article by: Kasra Asrar Haghighi