Uli Hoeness, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Hasan Salihamidzic held a press conference today to condemn the media for its treatment of Bayern Munich.
With the second international break of the season now behind us, Bayern Munich can now focus on their all-important upcoming fixtures. The Bavarians dropped points in four consecutive matches heading into the international break and will no doubt be hoping to turn their form around quickly.
Bayern’s recent poor form has caused many to speculate that the club is on the brink of a crisis. Relatively poor performances from many of Bayern’s players over the international break — especially from the Germans — only added fuel to the fire.
In Germany, almost all Bayern players and coach Niko Kovac have come under heavy criticism from the media. This is particularly true for Bayern’s veteran players, and even further so for those that are German.
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Today, however, club executives Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness, along with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, began their crusade against the German media for their recent “attacks” on the club.
Following Niko Kovac’s pre-match press conference, the trio took the stage to lambaste the media (specifically Bild and its subsidiary Sport Bild) and give a public show of support for their players and coach. They specifically called out the press for targeting Bayern players after Germany’s loss against the Netherlands. Rummenigge and Co. believe the media has gone too far and should be more respectful to the players.
"Rummenigge: “We at FC Bayern will no longer accept this recent kind of media coverage.”Hoeness: “I think its about time that the biggest club in Germany takes a clear stance on this issue.”Salihamidzic: “Our players are self-critical. Questioning the work of the entire club so quickly is not acceptable. I will always defend my players and my coach.”"
For a full summary of quotes from the press conference, check out Twitter page @iMiaSanMia’s thread.
By and large, there are two ways to interpret this: A) the Bayern executives are right and the media has overstepped their boundaries in regards to respecting the players and coach, or B) the Bayern executives are being too thin-skinned and only validating the reports of turmoil within the club.
Summary - you would think though that after six consecutive Bundesliga title wins in a row that Bayern Munich would have thicker skins...very touchy ..touchy indeed
— Mark Lovell (@LovellLowdown) October 19, 2018
The truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. Sure, the media has blown Bayern’s current state of affairs way out of proportion, but that’s also to be expected. Nobody wants to read a story about how two draws and two losses under a new manager with a squad missing a few key players is completely normal — even for a club as big as Bayern. However, the masses eat up anything that pushes the FC Hollywood agenda, especially after nearly a decade of complete Bundesliga dominance from the Bavarian giants.
Time will only tell how serious the issues taking place behind the scenes at Bayern really are. If Die Roten continue their abysmal form against Wolfsburg tomorrow and AEK Athens midweek, then perhaps the media’s “attacks” will prove justified. The Bavarian board has done its part to defend its players and coach. Their faith must now be repaid with convincing displays on the pitch.