Boateng-Bayern: fans’ protest jeopardizes his return

A legend. From which, however, the fans distance themselves. Jerome Boateng’s story at Bayern Munich is paradoxical. After 363 appearances with the red shirt and 25 titles won, relations are very tense. Not so much with the club, but with the public. Accused on several occasions of domestic violence, he was contested by Bavarian fans who opposed his return to the team when he was a free agent and to Kompany’s staff, as a trainee, now that he wants to become a coach. “I played for a long time, for big clubs, as well as for my country – underlined Boateng -. I learned, won, lost and grew thanks to all the experiences. Football has given me so much. Now it’s time to move forward. Not because I have to, but because I’m ready.” He wanted to start the new path in Bavaria, but he was prevented from doing so. Protests at the stadium, online petitions. The fans made it clear in every way that they would not accept his return to the club, even for a limited period. And in the end the deal fell through.

the idea

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It was actually Kompany who invited Boateng to do an internship at Bayern with his staff: “Of course, I would warmly invite him to come and stay with us for a few weeks and share his experience as a high-level defender with us – the coach said in the conference -. It’s really beneficial for everyone”. Even in the big match against Dortmund, however, a banner appeared in the Bavarian corner with which the ultras group made it known that they did not share the idea: “Whoever gives space to the guilty party shares his guilt. Boateng, disappear!”. But what is this hatred due to?

the past

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– In 2021, the suicide of Kasia Lenhardt, Boateng’s ex-partner, caused a sensation. Also in those years the German footballer was accused by his ex-wife of domestic violence. Despite having ordered him to pay 100,000 euros to two children’s charities, the Munich I regional court concluded the proceedings in June 2024 with a warning. “I have never hit a woman, the accusations are unfounded – he assured -. I was warned by the court because I injured my ex-girlfriend’s eye during an argument, although I would like to underline that it was she who hurt my lip first. It was a scuffle in which we injured each other during the argument”. Despite the fine, however, Boateng is not officially guilty. The judge did not consider it as such having found no evidence of repeated acts of violence.

reactions

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Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen reacted to last week’s protests by admitting that he was in trouble: “It’s a complicated case,” he said. “I believe that every person has the right to rehabilitation. Furthermore, the verdict should be considered in its entirety. And again: we have no working relationship with Jérôme. We are talking about a player who has been with us for a long time and has won many titles with our club. And if there is an agreement to allow him to attend some training sessions and gain experience, I don’t see what problems there are.” In recent days the Bavarian newspaper “tz” had anticipated that the club was internally evaluating the possibility of canceling the internship. It seems that no one at Bayern expected such a popular uprising.

the decision

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– The club was hesitating, Boateng decided to end the discussion and the controversy: “Dear FC Bayern, dear Vincent, after the recent discussions that concerned me, I have decided to focus on my problems – he wrote on Instagram -. Namely the A license, RYZR (your company specializing in regeneration, training and sleep comfort, ndc) and Arena2. That’s where I’m concentrating on this moment, and I think the club should focus solely on the pitch and the goal of continuing this impressive winning streak. I am very grateful to the club management and to you, dear Vincent, for the trust and the opportunity to be part of all this. I wish you from the bottom of my heart that you achieve your great goals at the end of the season.” Only at that point did Bayern decide to take a position publicly: “At the end of a constructive exchange that FC Bayern and Jérôme Boateng had during this week, it was decided that Jérôme Boateng will not be an intern at FC Bayern. Jérôme feels a strong bond with FC Bayern and does not want FC Bayern to suffer damage due to the current controversial discussion concerning him”. In short, the winner was the popular court, which ruled by deeming the player guilty. To the point that, despite being a club legend, many no longer want him to be associated with Bayern.