Bayern Munich’s 2-1 Der Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund saw a gritty display of football on the pitch — and fan protest in the Allianz Arena stands on one of the biggest Bundesliga matches of the new
season.
It was defender Jérôme Boateng’s return to the Bavarian spotlight that prompted the latter. The 37-year-old has retired from his playing career been working towards launching his coaching career — and spoke of a possible ‘internship’ at his former club.
But Boateng’s history of domestic violence allegations has drawn outright fury from sections of the fanbase. The Südkurve greeted the match with signs that left no doubt as to the force of their sentiments:
Translations were captured by @iMiaSanMia:
‘Whoever gives the perpetrator space bears his guilt — Boateng, pi*s off!’
‘No place for character pigs in our club. No more place for Boateng’
‘No stage/platform for perpetrators. Pi*s off Boateng!’
Bayern executive board member for sport Max Eberl dismissed the controversy afterwards — citing the casual nature of the proposed arrangement as reason
“A lot is being made of nothing,” Eberl stated in post-match comments captured by freelance journalist Matt Ford on BlueSky. “Jerome knows Vinnie personally and asked to watch a few training sessions and observe his work for a few weeks. The club isn’t employing him, it’s not a concrete position.”
T-online journalist Julian Buhl further quoted Eberl as noting: “We would approve it.”
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen weighed in as well, citing Boateng’s friendship with the current Bayern coach.
“Vincent and Jérôme know each other from old times. We simply agreed that Jérôme would now watch and observe some training sessions. And that’s it. It’s a complicated case. I think every person deserves rehabilitation. Furthermore, we should take a look at the verdict in its entirety,” Dreesen said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Is Boateng on the path to rehabilitating his public image? If so, it appears that journey could be happening — in part — at Säbener Straße. Kompany has already touted his former Manchester City teammate’s potential if he keeps at it, and added that the Bavarians could benefit from the experience of a ‘Bayern legend’.
Bayern Munich got off to a rousing start during its 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the latest edition of Der Klassiker, but it was a nervy ending for the Bavarians.
The home side appeared to wear down and wilt under pressure from Borussia Dortmund as the game went on, but it was a gutty effort to even preserve the win under what many would consider to be a shaky second half. Head coach Vincent Kompany will have to find a way to deal with the weariness of his boys, but for now, let’s talk about how it all played out.
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:
- A look at Bayern Munich’s starting XI selections…who stood out, who struggled, and more.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions as we walk through the flow of the match.
- Some final takeaways on the match.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
