FC Bayern Honorary President Hoeneß gives unexpected insights into the inner workings of the club. In an interview he talks Tacheles, also about the mistakes of CEO Kahn and sports director Salihamidzic.
For a long time, Uli Hoeneß was just the man in the background. The Honorary President, who has taken to his new role. The ex-manager, the ex-driver of FC Bayern. After Munich’s razor-thin championship on the 34th Bundesliga matchday, the long-time president spoke up in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” – and brought to light astonishing things about the atmosphere in the club over the past two years.
Hoeneß and Kahn – five phone calls in three and a half years
Anyone who has wondered whether and how intensively Hoeneß exchanged ideas with the new management team, for example, will read something surprising in the interview. “I think Oliver is generally not a guy who is constantly looking for contact,” says Hoeneß about Kahn, for example. Hoeneß “recently checked: Oliver has called me maybe five times in the whole time.”
As a reminder: Kahn moved to the Bayern board in January 2020, in July 2021 he replaced Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as CEO. With “Hasan”, meaning Salihamidzic, it “worked out well”.
What Hoeneß means exactly: After a long time at the top of a company – or a club like FC Bayern – “a good balance is important. On the one hand, you still want to be able to contribute your opinion, but you don’t want to give the others the feeling that you get too involved.”
Nagelsmann separation, a solo effort by Kahn and Salihamidzic
But Hoeneß, according to the interview, even enjoyed the fact that the new generation cut its cord: “Completely normal! I also thought to myself: They should do it. And if they are successful, everything is okay.” Only: In the end it was no longer okay, Hoeneß finally noticed that too.
A central point in the past few weeks: the separation from coach Julian Nagelsmann, “since the disturbing feelings have gradually increased.” Neither Hoeneß nor President Herbert Hainer were initially involved: “No, nobody,” Hoeneß is quoted as saying: “Herbert Hainer was also informed much too late as the chairman of the supervisory board. And something like that just doesn’t work.”
Hasan Salihamidzic stood at Hoeneß’s door on Wednesday before the separation – which officially followed on Friday – “and said: We want to do it, and actually we’ve already decided that.”
“Overall development caused more and more irritation”
From Hoeneß’ point of view, Nagelsmann’s separation was just a drop on the increasingly hot stone: “It was more the overall development that caused more and more irritation over time.”
In the end, FC Bayern no longer made the separation of Kahn and Salihamidzic dependent on the sporting performance: “The overall development was just too unsatisfactory for that.” From Hoeneß’ point of view, the announcement of the separation itself – shortly after the last Bundesliga game with the championship title – was neither lacking in style nor unfortunate, a lot of thought had been given in advance.
Hoeneß on the separation of Kahn and Salihamidzic
“It would not have been fair to discuss such important decisions with those affected only 24 hours before the supervisory board meeting,” says Hoeneß in an interview: “So there was no real alternative. We wanted Oliver and Hasan to hear about it directly from us, we “We wanted to keep the issue away from the team before the game in Cologne and we also wanted to inform the public immediately after the announcement in the dressing room. I heard that 85 percent of people think we did everything right.”
Source: BR24Sport
02.06.2023 – 18:55
