Stoiber is a great football fan and he supports the FC Bayern Munich. Before the 2002 election FC Bayern's manager Uli Hoeneß said he supported Stoiber and the CSU. Football legend, FC Bayern President and Vice-President of the German Football Association, Franz Beckenbauer, on the other hand, showed his support for Stoiber by letting him join the German national football team on their flight home from Japan after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.