“I think one could have waited”
Kimmich is annoyed by how things went with the bosses
05/29/2023, 11:14 am
FC Bayern Munich is still champion, for the eleventh time in a row and more dramatic than ever. But the record champion manages to tarnish his own triumph. That annoys Joshua Kimmich.
National soccer player Joshua Kimmich has criticized the management of FC Bayern Munich for the process of separating CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidžić. The news burst in the middle of the spectacular Bundesliga final with the win of the eleventh championship title in a row on Saturday in Cologne.
“I didn’t know it,” said 28-year-old Kimmich to journalists on the sidelines of the championship celebrations at Munich’s Marienplatz: “Of course it surprises you on the day of the German championship that something like this happens. I think you should have it now can wait another two or three days, regardless of the decision whether it’s good or bad now. I’m not judging that now.” “It’s funny when you secure the German championship in a final like this and then get a message like that, you’re in a rollercoaster of emotions.”
“Now we have the next topic”
The team was surprised by the club’s decision after the game: “It was incredibly important for us to announce it after the game because we always said we wanted to concentrate 100 percent on the sport,” said President Herbert Hainer after the win. “As you can see, it worked. We have now told the team.” Coach Thomas Tuchel was visibly touched: “I’ve known since yesterday. The two of them were largely responsible for the fact that we went on the journey together. That’s why I have to process it now,” said Tuchel to Sky. “Instead of celebrating, we now have the next topic.”
Thomas Müller, who was surprised when his former superiors were kicked out on the pitch, announced in Cologne: “In the end, that’s how business is, and we’ll all have a drink with Oliver Kahn and Hasan today.” While the ousted sports director Hasan Salihamidžić drove to Cologne with the team and also celebrated the championship in Munich together with the players on the balcony of the town hall on Sunday, the club had forbidden the former CEO Oliver Kahn to travel to Cologne. The former world-class goalkeeper did not appear in Munich either – and instead fought a long-distance duel with President Hainer via social media and the media.