The Gladbach fan project ‘FPMG Supporters Club’ wrote an open letter to Max Eberl before the duel against RB Leipzig, making serious allegations and not skimping on criticism.
The Gladbach fan project ‘FPMG Supporters Club’ wrote an open letter to Max Eberl before the duel with RB Leipzig. The former foal sports director receives massive criticism and has to deal with serious allegations.
Borussia Mönchengladbach hosts the seventh Bundesliga matchday next Saturday evening RB Leipzig (6.30 p.m.). A duel, which is already quite explosive due to the dislike of the foals towards RB, is given additional spice by the personality of Max Eberl. The long-time head of sports at Borussia is to hire Leipzig as the new sports director.
Eberl had previously announced his surprising departure from Gladbach at the beginning of the year. Eberl explained at the time that he wanted to get out of the bubble of professional football and more than just hinted at mental problems.
For many, the very quick desire to return is therefore unexpected. Especially among the Gladbach supporters, Eberl takes his obvious desire to move to Leipzig badly.
Gladbach fan project does not mince words because of Eberl
Before the duel on Saturday, the ‘FPMG Supporters Club’ fan project wrote an open letter to Eberl. “The sparrows are already whistling it from the rooftops: You will follow your old friend Marco to Red Bull Leipzig,” the open letter says at the beginning. At his farewell PK earlier this year, Eberl still denied that his departure from Gladbach had anything to do with a move to Leipzig. For the fan project, these assurances were a lie: “Today we not only know that there were no rumors and your statements were lies, but also that your desire to change to this construct was already certain before your public departure.”
At the time, Eberl had asked the fan project to publish a letter he had written. That was complied with. At that point, people were still trying to “believe in the good”. Now the situation has turned: “To get straight to the point: we simply no longer believe that you were upright and honest with us at the end of your tenure at Borussia.”
Eberl indicated a mental illness when he left. The letter goes on to say that the word “burnout” or something similar is not mentioned. The fan project also accuses the 48-year-old of deliberate lying. Or to put it better: The “media professional” Max Eberl deliberately steered public perception in this direction. “Providing to the public this image of your professional football fatigue while you’re haggling over your exit to Red Bull is – we can’t put it any other way – downright shoddy and a slap in the face to anyone actually affected by burnout.” , it says in the letter.
The letter is then ended with clear words: “We can’t wish you luck for your new task – on the contrary! But we wish you that you start to think, that you question all new influences from outside in quiet minutes and think about if you haven’t distanced yourself from Max Eberl, with whom we identified so strongly here in Mönchengladbach and who has now ended up in the coldest place in the league.”
The complete open letter in the wording
“Hi Max,
it’s not official yet, but the sparrows are already whistling it from the rooftops: you’ll follow your old friend Marco to Red Bull Leipzig. We weren’t particularly surprised by this development, as it was the hottest rumor of all behind closed doors here in Mönchengladbach at the end of last year. Back then, none of us really could believe it – how often have you told us internally for years how this construct distorts competition and how much we all have to stick together against it. The rumor was so hot that you even picked it up in your PK in January and vehemently denied it. Today we not only know that there were no rumors and that your statements were not lies, but also that your desire to switch to this construct was already clear before your public departure.
You sent us a letter in May asking for publication. We complied with that at the time because we were still trying to believe in the good and remembered the first 20 years of wonderful and very successful cooperation with you. Even then there were some critics who fundamentally distrusted the play. Yes, we deliberately say “acting” today. To get straight to the point: we simply no longer believe that you were upstanding and honest with us at the end of your tenure at Borussia.
You never said you were sick. The word “burnout” never came up from you. And yet, as a media professional, you knew that your appearance at the final press conference would convey exactly that to the world of football. The outcry and above all the sympathy were great. Actually rightly so: a person who suffers from a mental stress disorder needs full support and needs help from all of us. But was that just as anticipated by broad sections of the public in lay medicine, as it was in January? With our current state of knowledge, we unfortunately have to state very clearly that the “spectacle” quoted above also applies to this topic. Giving the public this image of your pro-football fatigue while haggling your exit to Red Bull is, we can’t put it any other way, downright shoddy and a slap in the face to anyone actually affected by burnout.
And then you also meet Marco Rose there. Didn’t you always tell us in spring 2021 how much his decision disappointed you personally? Haven’t you always emphasized that you’re only sticking with him for Borussia, but not because you want to continue working with him? What kind of morality is it when his false ambition causes your painstakingly built house of the new, successful Borussia to collapse like a house of cards, Borussia even plunges into the relegation battle and then drives you away from here as well? And now everything is forgotten and forgiven and the dream duo is working together again? You’ll say: That’s the business. So the business that made you declare in January that it’s breaking you? So you make yourself the henchman of the business, because of which you had to leave your supposed heart club overnight in January?
The whole affair got a real taste. Was it really worth it? Of course it would have been difficult to say, “Guys, I’m not going to win a title here anymore. I want to go to Red Bull and win a title there with the Brause millions and my old buddy Marco.” Nobody would have expected these words either, they would have hit us too, but at least they would have been honest! And we would have expected this honesty from you after the unforgettable time between 1999 and 2020, because despite all the internal differences, you always seemed straightforward and clear to us. In particular, because in 2011 we passionately showed you the way of our Borussia based on our tradition and prevented the so-called “initiative”. On this basis and with our support you could only begin your successful path. But that doesn’t seem to be that important to you anymore, although during your tenure you have always pointed out that “don’t forget where we come from”. It looks like you’ve forgotten it by now.
And what is really better in Leipzig? In the best-case scenario, you’ll get an unemotional title with an artificial construct (that’s what you always called it, by the way!). Look at the pictures of their cup victory. And then compare them to the promotion celebrations of traditional clubs, to our pictures of away games from the European Cup, to the real emotion of a naturally grown club. You will never feel this emotion in Leipzig. There will be cold victories that will be hailed by consumers and customers. You were always an emotional person and refrained from partying with thousands upon thousands. Was it really worth it?
We can’t wish you luck in your new role – on the contrary! But we wish you to start thinking, to take a few quiet minutes to question all the new influences from outside and consider whether you haven’t distanced yourself from Max Eberl, with whom people in Mönchengladbach identified so strongly and who he is now landed in the coldest place in the league.
The Board”
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This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Harsh criticism of Eberl: Gladbach fan project raises serious allegations in an open letter released.