FC Bayern has responded to criticism of coach Thomas Tuchel after his statements about the appeal of a position abroad with a clear rebuke to the critics. The German soccer record champions announced that they would no longer accept unobjective statements.
“On Sunday, as part of a fan club visit, our head coach Thomas Tuchel was asked by the supporters about his coaching career and his previous experiences abroad at Paris St. Germain and Chelsea FC and of course he provided information about this in the conversation. He also answered general questions from the fans “Spain as a football country,” said the joint statement from CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sports director Christoph Freund.
“He never spoke about Xavi Hernández and his successor, as was falsely claimed afterwards. We will no longer accept such unobjective statements directed against our coach, which always come from the same place,” said Dreesen and Freund.
Statements made during a fan club visit
Tuchel had to accept criticism for his statements during a fan club visit to Heidenheim about a possible foreign commitment in the future. “Then he sits down and talks about Xavi, about the successor and that he would like to train in Barcelona or Spain. That’s an impudence,” said ex-national player Dietmar Hamann on the talk show “Sky90”: “He’s a “Very intelligent man, something like that doesn’t just slip out of his mouth. He just has to know one thing: if you’re an employee of FC Bayern, messing with the management – that was rarely a good idea.”
Tuchel had spoken generally about a possible coaching position in other European countries. “Abroad will definitely appeal to me again, in general,” said the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC. He finds the league in Spain “extraordinary” because it is “characterized by incredible self-confidence”. “When you talk to Spanish players, you have the feeling that you speak to people very quickly and there are no empty phrases and no invisible wall.”
Bayern boss with understanding
Dreesen commented on the question of how he would have liked the statements as boss. “Oh, you shouldn’t be so excited about it. A coach’s job is generally never tied to a pension contract. It’s completely correct and okay for me if Thomas says something like that, especially since he didn’t come up with it on his own, but in was ‘punched’ accordingly in an open fan question and answer session,” said the CEO of “Münchner Merkur/tz”.
“I’m more amazed at what was made of it. That goes too far. Thomas works for us with great passion and intensity. He wants to achieve something with us – and we want to achieve something with him.”
Former Bundesliga manager Heribert Bruchhagen, however, showed little understanding for Tuchel’s statements, which came just one day after coach Xavi Hernández announced that he wanted to quit Spanish top club FC Barcelona at the end of the season. “He also needs to know what the consequences are. I would have expected him to answer: ‘At the moment I’m only concerned with FC Bayern,'” said Bruchhagen. The 75-year-old is sure: “Bayern won’t be amused about it.”
