Eberl on Hoeneß comments: "Of course I take it to heart!" | OneFootball

Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß caused a stir when he publicly criticized Max Eberl as being "too sensitive." Now the Munich sporting director responds to the statements.

Max Eberl has spoken in detail about Uli Hoeneß’s recent comments—and made it clear that the honorary president’s criticism has not caused any unrest within FC Bayern.

On the contrary: In an interview with the magazine 11Freunde, the sporting director emphasized that the two still maintain a close and respectful relationship.

“Everything he said on Doppelpass, he also said to me in a personal conversation,” Eberl explained, referring to Hoeneß’s public remarks. The 72-year-old had emphasized on the SPORT1 show that Eberl was “too sensitive” and needed to understand that at FC Bayern, “things are distributed across several shoulders.” At the same time, Hoeneß explicitly praised Eberl’s work.

For the sporting director, the discussion was not a problem—on the contrary: “At first, I thought defiantly: I’m not sensitive. Then I realized: Of course I react sensitively when I’m convinced of something, after all, I’m passionate about it,” said Eberl. “If I only did my job the way others told me, I wouldn’t be doing what I believe is best for the club.”

Eberl on Hoeneß: “Uli has accompanied me for 35 years”

He sees his task as taking responsibility and showing his conviction. With Hoeneß, Eberl emphasized, he shares a long history: “Uli has accompanied me for 35 years,” he said, recalling his time as a player at FC Bayern in the 1990s. “I experienced how he propelled this club forward with full energy. During my time at Gladbach, I often called him for advice.”

Eberl also spoke openly about his own stress in the hectic Bayern day-to-day. After his burnout during his time at Borussia Mönchengladbach, he learned to deal better with stress: “My early warning system hasn’t even kicked in. I no longer burden my system with unnecessary ballast.”

Photo: IMAGO

Despite the high pressure, he finds working at FC Bayern fulfilling: “In the end, I’m only judged on one thing: What happens on the pitch? And I think we made good decisions for FC Bayern this summer.”

Despite criticism from outside, the 51-year-old appeared confident: “Of course I react sensitively,” he said, “but that’s because this club is close to my heart.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.