Intense criticism has emerged towards Uli Hoeness, the 'legend' of Bayern Munich, who still holds power in the club.
According to a report from the German 'TZ' on the 5th, Lothar Matthäus, a Bayern legend who recently gave an interview to 'Bild', claimed, "Uli Hoeness should be more careful with his statements before blaming the media. The leak of information is already starting from within the club."
Hoeness, a former West Germany national team striker, was a legendary player who led Bayern Munich to three Bundesliga championships and three consecutive European Cup victories. After retiring in 1979, he immediately became the Director General of Bayern Munich and later served as president from 2009 and 2016, helping to elevate the club to the highest level in Europe.
During his tenure, he led the construction of Allianz Arena, significantly increasing the club's revenue and leaving a substantial legacy in financial and managerial aspects. However, in 2014, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for tax evasion involving €28.5 million through a Swiss secret account, serving about 18 months.
Despite this, Hoeness returned after serving his sentence and remains an iconic figure of the club, maintaining deep influence over Bayern and German football as a whole.
In recent weeks, Hoeness has been targeting the media regarding transfer market rumors. Particularly after the retraction of the transfer rumor involving Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with certain reports. However, Matthäus pointed out that Hoeness's attitude is 'double-edged'.
"Isn't Hoeness benefiting from the media in making today's Bayern? A person who has grown with the media for nearly 60 years should not say, 'Shut your mouth until we speak.'" This is Matthäus's position.
In fact, Hoeness assured a year ago, "There will be no more internal leaks from now on." But Matthäus countered, "That promise has not been kept at all. The media is still receiving internal information on a daily basis."
Matthäus also cited reports related to Florian Wirtz. "It was not Hoeness but the media itself that clarified that the Wirtz transfer rumor was false. Internal confusion should not be transferred to the outside." he emphasized.
In fact, this summer, Bayern attempted to sign Wirtz, but it is reported that they failed to present a clear positional concept and vision compared to Liverpool. According to a report from 'Kicker', the disagreement over positional arrangements between manager Vincent Kompany and the management added to the confusion.
Matthäus's comments are not merely the musings of a legend. He clearly suggests that Hoeness's presence is negatively impacting the current operation of the club. Matthäus's statement, "It is now time for Hoeness to step back. At least in public." serves as a cautious message pointing out the imbalance in Bayern’s internal decision-making system.
This is closely related to the recent turmoil in the transfer market. The unclear situations of key players like Kim Min-jae, Leon Goretzka, and Leroy Sané, the failed acquisition of Wirtz, and the subtle temperature differences between the manager and the Director General... all of these point to a common underlying issue.
Matthäus's interview could itself be a turning point. The call for Bayern to move away from a Hoeness-centered outdated structure is no longer just fans' wishes, but has become a 'warning' coming from a legend.
[OSEN]