Since this week there has been clarity: Hansi Flick will succeed Joachim Löw as coach of the German national team after the European Championships.
Before that could happen, the coach asked the bosses of FC Bayern to terminate the contract at the end of the season in mid-April. The record champions finally obeyed Flick’s wish to leave.
But could Bayern have done more beforehand to persuade Flick to stay?
Kahn had “the feeling we can do it”
“I had a lot of conversations with Hansi. In between I had the feeling we could do it,” said Bayern board member Oliver Kahn in an interview SPORT1. “But the fact that the national team worked on him when Jogi Löw announced his resignation after the European Championship cannot be ignored.”
Wanted: the winner of the European Championship! Register now for the SPORT1 prediction game
The “national team theme” was one of the motives for Flick’s farewell – after SPORT1-Information but not the main reason. The ongoing dispute with sports director Hasan Salihamidzic burdened the successful coach at his work in Munich.
Looking back, Kahn assesses the differences of opinion between Flick and Salihamidzic as follows: “It is in the nature of things that there can be different opinions. The coach always looks at the current squad. The sports director has to look at the economic one, especially in the Corona period Pay attention to aspects. “
Kahn emphasizes that FC Bayern “tried everything to keep Hansi in Munich”. But viewed from the outside, the picture is not that clear in retrospect. (COMMENT: Flick has no choice!)
That’s how the Flick decision went
Flick approached the Bayern bosses in April after the Champions League loss against PSG and had also informed Kahn of his decision in a conversation.
Board boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was present at this important announcement. Flick had informed him first. (REPORT: Conversation without Salihamidzic! That’s how Flick’s decision went)
Kahn’s reaction is said to have been rather cautious, the former goalkeeper seemed reserved.
Hoeneß does not understand criticism of Salihamidzic
In addition, honorary president Uli Hoeneß is known to support Salihamidzic. The 69-year-old broke up SPORT1 once again a lance for the Bayern sports director.
“I can’t understand the criticism of Salihamidzic. I was in a leading position at FC Bayern for 40 years and I’m still on the supervisory board. Whenever we bought a player, everyone in the club was responsible for it. And not the coach or manager alone . It is no different now, “said Hoeneß.
Bayern’s honorary president made it clear: “The fact is: Hasan cannot buy players on his own. The statutes of FC Bayern München AG do not allow that at all. Every transfer must have the signature of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge or another member of the board on it.”
Only Rummenigge stood up for Flick
Among those responsible, only Rummenigge is said to have campaigned vehemently for Flick until the end, as he did in the SPORT1-Interview did in March. A fact that left the sextuple coach disappointed.
It also shows that things no longer fit between the 56-year-old coach and the club. The Bayern bosses failed to create an environment for Flick in which he would rather continue to work than go to the DFB.
The football teacher wanted more of a say in the squad planning and the signs clearly indicated that Flick and Salihamidzic could not go on together.
The SPORT1 podcast “Meine Bayern-Woche” opens podcast.sport1.de, in the SPORT1 app and the popular streaming platforms Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer and Podigee
Kahn: “Certainly didn’t do everything right”
The fact that those responsible at Bayern felt taken by surprise after Flick’s publicly announced change request is only partially understandable. The point in time when the coach announced his farewell thoughts before the secure championship in the Bundesliga is to be questioned – Kahn now also admits mistakes.
“It’s not like we’re all patting each other on the back in retrospect. We certainly haven’t done everything right. We too will sit down over the next few weeks and look back at what we could have done better. Where we would have acted differently have to “, Kahn admitted SPORT1 to.
At the same time, the Executive Board was optimistic about the future. “In the past, great players and great coaches have left a lot, and FC Bayern almost always continued to be more successful,” Kahn clarified.
