At the end of the 40-minute farewell show of a seemingly drawn uli hoeneb, a surprise guest suddenly entered the podium of the allianz arena. Bayern munich’s chairman of the board karl-heinz rummenigge showed up for the harmonious final picture with the outgoing president.
The 63-year-old brought a personal gift with him to thank "dear uli" on friday for 45 years together. The photo collage showed the two now graying bayern bosses as young fubballers, sometimes cheering together for goals, but also wearing bavarian lederhosen for the first time.
A handshake, a short hug, then hoeneb fell in love behind rummenigge on the stage that had once belonged to him alone before. The 67-year-old, who sees the club in a brilliant position for the time after him, the patron of tegernsee, appeared relieved.
"My wife couldn’t believe it until yesterday," he joked about his "long-growth" decision to speak at the members’ meeting on 15. November to give up the presidency first and then also the chairmanship of the supervisory board prematurely. Both posts are to be taken over by former adidas boss herbert hainer.
On the day after hoeneb’s announcement of his retirement, which began spectacularly with the appointment of bavarian legend oliver kahn as the future boss of the board and rummenigge’s successor, dissonance should by no means spoil the image of a club that is "at peace with itself," as the still incumbent president proudly proclaimed.
The two "alpha animals," as hoeneb and rummenigge called each other, have often disagreed in recent times, for example "on the trainer issue" last year when niko kovac arrived. But hoeneb assured: "you don’t think I’m going to give up such an office because of a dispute?!"Most recently, supervisory board member edmund stoiber had spoken of "disputes" between the bosses as one of the motives for hoeneb’s withdrawal.
The soon-to-be departing president gave the impression that letting go was easy for him after four decades at the helm of FC bayern. "I’m going to be a newcomer for the first time in 40 years on 16. November without a plan. And that will be exciting for me," said hoeneb. He is "completely healthy," he emphasized, and sees the club as being well prepared financially, athletically and in terms of personnel for the time after him: "the course for the future has been set."
He wanted to hand over the series champion in its "super condition. And at some point you just have to "make the move," hoeneb said: "there are so many politicians or business leaders who were very rough and then got slaughtered. I wanted to go through the rough gate. I wanted to decide this for myself and not be asked by anyone in the world to sign my demission in the bottom right hand corner."
He congratulated himself: "from my point of view, I have succeeded grobartig. This club has so much strength and juice that it will no longer be able to cope with uli hoeneb at the forefront either."
Hoeneb has pulled the strings again according to his own ideas in the case of the gross bavarian scandal. He sends the departing rummenigge into retirement at the same time – albeit with a time delay. The fixing of the personalie kahn, which was announced on friday morning, completes the upheaval on the leadership level of the record champion.
"You can see a great development in him," hoeneb said of the 50-year-old kahn, who has kept his entrepreneurial and ZDF pundit credentials after a career as a goalkeeper. Kahn he had "had his eye on for a good year, at some point it clicked for me". Hoeneb goes all in for the titan: "we need a former fubballer in the lead."
Kahn rises on 1. January 2020 as a newcomer without a portfolio of my own on the board of FC bayern AG. Two years later, he was said to be rummenigge, whose contract expires on 31. December 2021 ends, at the top relieve. Kahn signed a five-year contract – a leap of faith.
"Kahn will use the time to become a really good CEO," hoeneb believes. Kahn spoke of an "honor" to return to his club after more than eleven years in a managerial role: "I am deeply connected to the club, it has shaped my life very strongly."
Silent hoeneb friend hainer (65) becomes president and head of the supervisory board. "Someone who can run adidas can also run FC bayern," hoeneb said of his former deputy on the supervisory board. The lower bavarian is a good friend. "I don’t give herbert hainer any advice, he’s a seasoned professional."
Kahn and hainer, this connection should work out. The former adidas boss and the ex-national goalkeeper were business partners. Kahn was an important advertising figure for the sporting goods manufacturer from herzogenaurach, which is one of the shareholders of the bavaria AG. "Herbert hainer did the contract negotiations with oliver almost alone," hoeneb revealed an important detail.
But what’s next for him? "Those who know me know that i won’t become a cigar-smoking, golf-playing pensioner sitting by the tegernsee with a view of the lake."No, hoeneb will continue to sit in the arena and enjoy the soccer games like this saturday against mainz 05. "That still fascinates me."In contrast, he considers the rampant transfer madness to be "gaga".
Hoeneb intends to serve on the supervisory board until the end of november 2023. The patron bobs in without office power, but he certainly remains influential in the background. He has chosen the new makers, whether kahn, hainer, kovac or even sports director hasan salihamidzic. "I will not impose myself under any circumstances, i owe that to the people involved," hoeneb promised. But he also said: "you don’t have to worry about it. From me will be already something to hear."That sounded like: that’s not it yet.