Winter champs Hoffenheim aim to knock Bayern off perch

BERLIN: Bundesliga newcomers Hoffenheim have already left their mark in their debut season and hope to become a major force in German football after being crowned "winter champions" last week.

The promoted team, who until now have used a rental stadium to hold its support drawn from a village of 3,300 people, lead the standings after 17 matches on goal difference from champions Bayern Munich.

"We are deserved "winter champions," multi-millionaire software pioneer Dietmar Hopp, who has bankrolled the club since the 1990s, told German paper Bild (www.bild.de) on Tuesday.