Fresh protests against Boateng: Bayern fans make their stance clear | OneFootball

The debate surrounding Jérôme Boateng continues to cause tension at FC Bayern. Before the Champions League match against Club Brugge, the Südkurve sent a clear message—with a banner that took a strong stand against abuse of power and violence in relationships.

Shortly before kickoff, fans in the Allianz Arena unveiled a large banner with the inscription: “Against abuse of power and physical & psychological violence in relationships.” It was the second protest action within a few days. Already during the Bundesliga victory against Borussia Dortmund (2:1) last weekend, supporters had unmistakably expressed their displeasure over the planned Boateng internship.

The background: FC Bayern is planning to allow the former central defender, who wore the record champion’s jersey between 2011 and 2021, to do an internship with Vincent Kompany’s coaching staff. As part of his coaching education, Boateng wants to acquire further licenses—after already completing his B license, he aims to follow up with the A license and the football instructor license.

Bayern defends the decision

The ongoing criticism from the fan scene has so far not caused the club’s management to change course. Sporting director Max Eberl clearly defended the decision in interviews after the Dortmund match: “This is not about a job, it’s not about a permanent position at FC Bayern. It’s simply about observing training sessions. That’s all it is. We would allow that. We say, that’s not a problem.”

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen also expressed understanding for the emotional reactions, but emphasized the club’s social responsibility: “It’s a complicated case,” Dreesen admitted, “but we advocate for resocialization.”

With this, the club’s management underlines that Boateng’s return is primarily about a second professional chance—and not about an active role at the club.

The trigger for the protests lies in the legal past of the former national player. In July 2024, the Munich I Regional Court convicted Boateng of intentional simple bodily harm against his former partner and fined him 200,000 euros. The judge also issued a warning with a suspended sentence, but emphasized that “nothing remains of the accusation of being a notorious woman-beater.”

Legally, Boateng is therefore not considered to have a criminal record. Nevertheless, the case remains a sensitive topic for many fans. The public discourse on Säbener Straße reflects how divided perceptions are: between the principle of resocialization on one side—and the desire of many supporters for clear moral boundaries on the other.

Kompany himself offered Boateng the opportunity for an internship at the end of September. At the time, he explained that his aim was to open up perspectives in coaching for former players. But the reactions from the stands show: The road back to professional football remains a difficult one for Boateng—even in Munich.

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