‘More of a badge of honour’: Sepp Maier defends Hoeneß’s criticism of Eberl | OneFootball

The appearance of Uli Hoeneß on SPORT1’s Doppelpass continues to spark debate. While many interpret the honorary president’s statements as an attack on Max Eberl, Bayern legend Sepp Maier sees things differently – and calls it a “knighthood.”

On Sunday, Hoeneß was his usual combative self: criticism of the crazy sums on the transfer market, jabs at Lothar Matthäus and Markus Babbel – and clear words for sporting director Max Eberl. He spoke of too much “sensitivity,” along with the call to distribute responsibility across more shoulders.

The 73-year-old emphasized afterwards that he only wanted to help Eberl, but his statements are still causing quite a stir on the Isar.

Maier: “Uli speaks his mind”

For Sepp Maier, 1974 World Cup winner and long-time companion of Hoeneß, this is nothing new. “Uli just speaks his mind – he’s always been like that,” he explained in an interview with SPORT1. Maier described the disputes between Hoeneß and Matthäus as “Bavarian theater,” which seems bigger than it actually is.

Hoeneß’s criticism of Eberl, too, should not be seen as humiliation. “Max has a hell of a job, you can’t forget that. At FC Bayern, you’re always under constant fire. That Uli criticizes him a bit publicly isn’t meant badly, it’s meant to strengthen him,” said the former keeper.

“No one gets treated with kid gloves”

Photo: IMAGO

Maier emphasized that soft words are never used on Säbener Straße: “It was a decent slap for Eberl, but at FCB no one gets treated with kid gloves. You have to know that before you take on responsibility here.”

The statement that Eberl is ‘sensitive’ is not seen by Maier as a weakness, but as a human trait: “Uli is just a tough nut, he can take anything. Max might take things more to heart. The important thing is: in the end, you have to come out of it together and work for the club – and Eberl can do that, I’m sure.”

Instead of a weakening, Maier speaks of a strengthening. “Uli never speaks to humiliate anyone. He says what he thinks, and sometimes it comes across harsher than it’s meant. But actually, he’s making it clear: Max is important, he has to take responsibility. That’s more of a knighthood than an attack.”

Maier sees the interplay of strong personalities at Bayern not as a disadvantage, but as a strength: “At FC Bayern, there are always conflicts – it’s a tradition like the Wiesn! But that’s exactly what makes the club strong. Where there’s a lot of pressure, there’s also a lot of energy.”

Hoeneß and the “Monopoly” on the transfer market

Maier also commented on the much-discussed analogy from Hoeneß, who compared the transfer market to the board game Monopoly. “Maybe in the past it was possible to sign big players for manageable sums, but today we’re playing in a completely different league. Bayern has to make sure they stay competitive on the game board – Boardwalk is somewhere else now.”

With that, Maier makes it clear: Hoeneß’s words should be understood less as an attack and more as an appeal – to Eberl, but also to the whole club.

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