At some point this summer, Bayern Munich will formally make a decision on whether or not to extend the contract of board member for sport Max Eberl.
Given the reports that have leaked over the past few days, though, that could be more of a long shot than a certainty. While reports — and some direct quotes — have surfaced regarding the feelings of Uli Hoeneß on Eberl, it has been silence from fellow supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
While the former CEO has not given any interviews or formally
spoken on the matter, Bild (via @iMiaSanMia) has issued a report indicating that Rummenigge is not thrilled with a few aspects of Eberl’s performance as well:
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is considered a critic of Max Eberl within the club. There are two main points of criticism from Bayern’s bosses of Eberl – it’s said that he always wants to finalize transfers too quickly, resulting in overly expensive deals. Especially during last summer’s transfer window, Eberl wanted to complete too many transfers, including those involving names like Xavi Simons and Jamie Gittens, which the supervisory board didn’t like and which weren’t financially approved. One of the higher-ups’ wishes is that Eberl must also stand firm when it comes to salaries. During his tenure, there have been expensive contract extensions, such as those with Alexander Nübel, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, and Joshua Kimmich.
One of the primary issues surrounding Eberl include a lack of communication regarding his transfer plans, which can be an issue considering Bayern Munich’s internal rule that the supervisory board must approve all deals that exceed €50 million:
The management feels that Eberl lacks a strong relationship of trust with the supervisory board. Eberl communicates too little regarding the implementation of his transfer and squad plans. He only approaches them once he has essentially already finalized the deals. This approach has already caused friction with the supervisory board, which must approve all transfer packages exceeding €50 million.
Finally, the walls at Säbener Straße are sometimes known to house a war zone and there is a “feeling” that Eberl could be too sensitive:
There’s also a feeling that Eberl can’t handle the FC Bayern ‘culture of conflict’, like Hoeneß and Rummenigge used to. Instead, he takes the criticism too personally.
Hoeneß once criticized Oliver Kahn, stating that he had only called him five times during his tenure as CEO. Eberl is facing this same point of criticism, which is the pack of communication, despite the fact both live at Tegernsee 10 minutes away from each other
Whether all these disagreements can ultimately be overcome will be decided by the supervisory board at its next meeting in August. Eberl’s future and a potential contract extension beyond 2027 will then be discussed.
None of this paints a harmonious picture for the Bayern Munich executives. While Eberl has done a tremendous job of securing new talent, poor communication is never good and some would argue that Eberl gave up too much in recent contract negotiations with Jama Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Dayot Upamecano.
At one point, it looked like Eberl would almost assuredly be back. Now, it seems less than certain.
BFW Conspiracy Theory
With Eberl’s future up in the air, Bayern Munich’s supervisory board has to have some candidates in mind, in the event that the club and Eberl cannot find a common ground on a new contract. But who?
Well, there was a surprise a appearance on Sport1’s Dopplepass this weekend by a former Bayer Munich player and executive, who was unceremoniously sacked with Oliver Kahn for the bumbling of Julian Nagelsmann’s firing and the subsequent hiring of Thomas Tuchel, which was a nightmare.
That man? Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić.
Was that a coincidence?
Maybe. Probably.
Salihamidžić was considered the right-hand man of Hoeneß, but Brazzo’s own lack of communication was rumored to irritate Hoeneß and Rummenigge. Salihamidžić‘s subsequent “cowboy” behavior with Kahn in firing Nagelsmann and hiring Tuchel also sullied the relationship further as it damaged the club.
Yeah, there was probably nothing behind Salihamidžić‘s television appearance, but it was curious timing.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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