Max Eberl delivers rambling soliloquy at Bayern Munich press conference, club president declines direct endorsement

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Bayern Munich board-member-for-sport Max Eberl has had a chance to comment on Uli Hoeneß’ controversial comments directed towards him. Five days after Hoeneß’ leveled an accusation that he was “too sensitive”, Eberl spoke at his first official club press conference. A full translation of Eberl’s rather long soliloquy is provided below. This is followed by some analysis. 

“As a human being,” Eberl began. “I’m just a person who wants to do a good job here. I came here some 17 months ago and it was not an easy situation. If I were to define the word ’empfindlich’ [‘sensitive’], I’ll go back to the root verb ’empfinden’ [‘to feel, ‘to sense’, to ’empathize’]. That means one’s ready to fight for something.

“If one simply does a job without feeling,” Eberl continued. “If one ‘wants’ [to do] something, I think that’s just cold. I think the whole world and our society is very cold and inconsiderate. When we talk about powerful figures that make big decisions in the world, we’re often talking about people who are very callous and egotistical.

“And that brings me back to the concept of ‘feeling’,” Eberl then said. “Because I’m person who does what he does with passion and fire. And that’s how I went into this job.”

Eberl then shifted the focus back to Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany, who jointly attended the pre-match press conference flanked to Eberl’s right. Kompany had his own bit of humor to contribute to the presser. Eberl strove to maintain a sincere tone when discussing the decision to hire company (easily the club’s seventh or eighth choice) last summer. 

“We found, for me personally, an absolutely outstanding head coach last summer,” Eberl said. “Not because of the decision we made, but because I’ve been able to get to know him over the last 14 months and he’s an outstanding personality on the sidelines. That was the first thing we needed to take care of. Then it was time to sort out a large and expensive squad.

“First we extended contracts that were expensive but necessary,” Eberl continued. “I’m thinking specifically of Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, and even Manuel Neuer. We prioritized building a secure future for Bayern Munich. We set a course for young talents both with us and on loan and we began to reduce costs.

“That’s what I stand for,” Eberl went on. “That’s what we’re all working for. As a former defender, I say that [Eberl made clear he was kidding around a bit] sometimes one has to tackle blindly. And I’ve always had to fight for my life. Everything that I’ve accomplished in my life has required a lot of fight and hard work.

“And I’ve never done it alone,” Eberl continued with specific reference to Hoeneß’ comments. “I’ve simply functioned with others around me. And that’s been true both on and off the pitch. That’s how I work and live. I never thought about phoning it in here. My heart is here. I don’t want to work for Bayern Munich per se,  but help Bayern Munich be successful. 

“That’s what I get up for every morning,” Eberl concluded. “That’s what I fight for every day. People can interpret my feelings any which way they want. I know how I am and how stubborn I can be in order to set things up for the best possible outcome. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m sitting here. How things are going for me on a deeply personal level belongs to me.“

Analysis of Eberl’s words and tone

Eberl’s (at times rambling) metaphysical soliloquy was accompanied by some nervous body language and awkward attempts at humor. While it would be fair to say that he won over the journalists in the room, Eberl didn’t look too terribly happy with some of the inner-office politics he had to deal with. It took quite some time for Eberl to get to the point, strongly suggesting that he himself needed to convince himself that he wished to keep his position.

The executive’s argument that he was indeed “sensitive” because he was “passionate” will ring true for some, but one can easily picture Uli Hoeneß rolling his eyes at such a case. Moreover, Eberl’s mini-jab at “egotistical and insensitive” world leaders (easy enough to infer which one he was referring to) might have helped him score some points with Germans, but (tragically) sounds like something Germans know all too well Hoeneß well take personally. 

Comments from Herbert Hainer

Club president Herbert Hainer later spoke to reporters outside the Allianz Arena following a ceremony dedicating a new Franz Beckenbauer statue. Hainer directly addressed specific rumors that Eberl was “phoning it in” a.k.a. not working especially hard in his role as Bayern’s chief personnel executive. Though supportive, the club president’s words hardly constituted a ringing endorsement of Eberl.

“I didn’t see [the press conference] because I was busy all day,” Hainer said. “But I had a long conversation with Max on Monday and I also made a statement at the state chancellory on Wednesday. One doesn’t have to overanalyze every word. The important thing, and I’ll emphasize this again, is that we made all the [personnel] decisions together.

“All decisions went through the supervisory committee,” Hainer continued. “There were no ‘Max Eberl’ decisions or ‘Uli Hoeneß decisions’. That applies to both the transfers that worked and the ones that didn’t. I find it great that he spoke publicly, but I never really had any misgivings. I speak with him [Eberl] often. We [phone] all the time.

“I never had the feeling that he was phoning it in, even when he was on vacation,” Hainer concluded. “But I’ve never commented on the rumors because I don’t think the rumors are worth commenting on.“

Hmm…..

GGFN | Peter Weis