FC Bayern Munich
When asked about the Hoeneß dispute, Tuchel weighs it down – and then follows up
FC Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is leaving the club after the season
© Sven Hoppe / DPA
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel was clearly affected by the criticism from Honorary President Uli Hoeneß. After the game against Frankfurt he actually tried to put the topic behind him. But one point seemed to bother him too much.
After losing the championship, the mood at FC Bayern Munich remains tense. The outgoing coach Thomas Tuchel and honorary president Uli Hoeneß is at loggerheads in public. After the win against Eintracht Frankfurt, Tuchel actually wanted to diplomatically avoid questions about the dispute. But then he couldn’t let it go completely.
“I reacted to it shortly before and after the game and would like to leave it at that,” he explained during a question and answer session with journalists. “I understand the question. It’s probably a legitimate question, but the focus now is on Tuesday,” he explained, referring to the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. But then it obviously bothered him.
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“There are ten incredibly important days for all of us. There is no worse time for any sideshows,” he said, annoyed at the attack from the executive suite. After the Champions League game, we play against Stuttgart on Saturday. If Bayern wins, the club can at least secure second place in the Bundesliga. “It’s now just about Real Madrid, VfB Stuttgart and Real Madrid,” emphasized Tuchel.
The accusation between the lines is obvious: Instead of supporting the team and coach before two important games, Hoeneß is throwing unnecessary sand into the gears with his accusations against Tuchel.
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Trouble from the top
It is entirely understandable that Tuchel is touched. On Friday, Honorary President Hoeneß made no secret of what he thinks of Tuchel in an interview with the “FAZ”. Hoeneß emphasized that he was humanly okay. However, there is disagreement about how to deal with the players. According to Hoeneß, Tuchel is too keen on buying new players instead of developing existing ones. “We want to have a coach who improves the individual players. That’s also the accusation!”, he explained the decision not to extend Tuchel’s contract after the end of the season.
Tuchel cannot understand the statement. “That’s so far from reality, I don’t even know how to answer it,” he said on “Sky” on Saturday before the Eintracht game. “I’m hurting my coaching honor.” He always has a place for good players in the team and on the pitch. “We have proven that too.”
Meanwhile, the players try to avoid the dispute. Asked about the dispute by a “Bild” reporter, Bayern striker Thomas Müller replied after the Frankfurt game: “There won’t be any disturbing noises for us. I quoted Oli Kahn earlier: ‘I don’t give a shit’.”