Freund clarifies:

“Coaches canceled that we never asked”

(Bild: GEPA)

"That was something that damaged German soccer." Felix Magath came down hard on FC Bayern at the Sports Media Austria conference in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Just a few hours later, Christoph Freund, Munich's sporting director, spoke via video call and made it clear: "We have been turned down by coaches we never asked."

FC Bayern had often been used for media interest, Freund said, meaning that coaches had been approached for the vacant position at Säbener Straße who had never been in contact with the German top club.

Compromise of playing ideas
In the winter, the Bundesliga record champions decided to part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season. The search for a successor remained unsuccessful until the end, with FC Bayern only presenting Vincent Kompany as the new coach on Wednesday. A coach who had already traveled to Munich with ideas, as Freund explained. It is now important to find a compromise between the club's philosophy and the Belgian's system. 

VIncent Kompany takes over at German record champions.(Bild: AFP or licensors)

The Salzburg native, who described his first season at FC Bayern as "turbulent, but instructive", also assured that the club would rely more on players from its own youth system in future. The title-less season had brought the Munich club plenty of criticism, although Freund reassured: "It is now taken for granted that we will become champions. The drop is correspondingly high." However, the narrow exit in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid showed what the record champions are still capable of. Freund has certainly learned one thing in the past year: "You never get bored at Bayern."