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Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac appears to be on the ice as the season draws to a close. After Bayern Munich's 0-0 draw against RB Leipzig – the only goal of the match denied for offensives on a controversial VAR criticism – President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic danced around the question of knowing if Kovac would still be their next season coach.
Rummenigge: "at the end of the day", no guarantee
In a post-match interview with Sky (reported by Sport1, Bild), Rummenigge reiterated once again that Kovac had to deliver success. He said Sky,
I have no problem with Niko Kovac. I always hear the word "job guarantee, job guarantee". At Bayern Munich, players, management and coaches must deliver successfully. it's true for everyone.
On the contrary, we have good relationships. I just think that at the end of the day, it's our task to guide the team, the coach and everyone in the right direction, so that we can have the Meisterschale in our hands next Saturday.
Pressed by his refusal to guarantee Kovac's status for next season, despite Bayern remaining in first place in the Bundesliga and playing in the DFB Pokal final, Rummenigge reiterated his refusal to give any guarantee whatsoever , even late in the season:
I am not a friend of these warranties, nor to praise only the players and the coach. I found that it was sometimes profitable to be complacent and that this was not the right solution for Bayern Munich.
Rummenigge was asked if Kovac was definitely "the coach of the next few years," but he simply replied that "the duration of [his] contract is well known. Kovac is signed until June 30, 2021.
No excuses
Many have highlighted the obstacles Niko Kovac faced in his first season at Bayern Munich: he was effectively responsible for overseeing the final season of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, without adding further offensive reinforcements. Key striker Kingsley Coman missed almost all Hinrunde Due to an injury during the first day, midfielder Corentin Tolisso was also hit by an ACL tear.
But Rummenigge showed little sympathy:
I do not see it this way with "team renewal" (Umbruch). We have integrated young players, but I think the composition of the team is very good. All Bayern players know that you have to succeed in Bayern Munich. In the end, we must all keep our promises. This is the case for the team, the players, the management and, at the end of the day, the coach.
Rummenigge said: "I'm not worried about not winning the championship in Munich next week. With a performance like today, we are also able to beat Frankfurt. "
Salihamidzic: Kovac has "my support", but anyone?
Still after the match in Leipzig, the sports director Hasan Salihamidzic appeared on ZDF in discussion with the moderator and Sportbuzzer columnist Jochen Breyer. His answers to Breyer's direct questions about Kovac's future suggest that the club has not decided to retain him beyond his first season.
Salihamidzic tried to support Kovac as best he could, but he was quickly stuck by his host. Here you can read for yourself how Brazzo tries to cope with Breyer's incisive questions, stating that Kovac can count on the support of only one-third of Bayern Trinidad:
Breyer: Will he or will he say – Niko Kovac?
Salihamidzic: In these times when we can get a lot of results and win titles for our club and our fans, we would all be well advised, I think, to do something totally different. It means not wasting all our energy on random considerations, including personnel considerations, but rather …
Breyer: Does this mean that the decision has not been taken yet?
Salihamidzic: … to give players the energy they need to perform well in the field and to win two titles after the next two weeks, as well as to show that we are the best team in Germany and win both titles.
Breyer: So, the decision has not been taken yet?
Salihamidzic: The coach has full support.
Breyer: But that means that the decision as to whether he is coaching next year has not yet been made.
Salihamidzic: The facts speak for Niko Kovac.
Breyer: So, will he stay coach?
Salihamidzic: He has full support of me.
Breyer: Then yes?
Salihamidzic: We will see.
Breyer: Does he have the support of the other two [i.e. Uli Hoeness and Rummenigge]?
Salihamidzic: I can only speak for myself.
So that's what Rummenigge says: Kovac has the full support of Salihamidzic, but not necessarily Hoeness's and probably not Rummenigge's. If Kovac does not win the Bundesliga decisively next weekend, it could be the end of his career.
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