Bayern Munich took the strange step to hold a press conference today in which they criticised the media for their coverage of the team. Newly installed Niko Kovac has had a bumpy start to life at the Bundesliga champions, who currently lie in 6th in the table with four wins one draw and two losses after seven games.
It seems the press coverage surrounding the biggest club in Germany is starting to get to them, with Uli Hoeness condemning the recent negative press around his team:
It's about time the biggest club in Germany takes a clear stance on this issue.
We will no longer accept this recent kind of media coverage.
Bayern chairman Karl Heinz-Rumennigge also chimed in on the subject, citing media coverage of Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng:
We met on Monday after Germany's international match against the Netherlands and have decided we will no longer accept this style of journalism.
What we have had to read in recent times has nothing to do with performance, it was a settlement with individual players. Today we will protect our players, our coaches and also the club.
Today is an important day as we inform you that we will no longer tolerate this derogatory and derisive reporting.
I have no words for what I have read about Manuel Neuer. I would like to remind you that Manuel was world goalkeeper of the year four times.
And if I have to read that our central defenders Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng play 'old men football', I think: 'Come on, guys, I want to remind you of Article 1 of the Constitution - the dignity of a person is unassailable'.
Now this is all well and good, if a little over sensitive from the Bayern board, but at the same time it is quite hypocritical from Hoeness to give out about criticising players when he himself has torn into both Juan Bernat and Mesut Ozil recently.
Former Bayern full back Bernat was thrown under the bus by Hoeness today, the 66-year-old blaming the Spaniard for being responsible for Bayern almost losing their Champions League quarter final with Sevilla:
When we played in Seville, he was solely responsible for us almost being eliminated.
That day [the Champions League first leg against Sevilla], we decided that we would sell him because he almost cost us all the success in the Champions League.
Hoeness also didn't have very kind words for Ozil following his exit from the Germany team and the furore surrounding the photo the Arsenal midfielder took with controversial Turkish politician Recep Erdogan. Speaking to BILD the Bayern President did not give a very diplomatic take on the midfielder:
I’m glad this nightmare is over. He has been playing crap for years.
The last tackle he won was before the 2014 World Cup – and now he is hiding himself and his poor performances behind this photo.
The Bayern president stirred up more negative feeling for Ozil with his words, and surely if he was serious about protecting players he would bite his tongue more often than he does.
In any case, the press conference has not gone down well online, with many pointing to the double standards surrounding Hoeness and his criticism of Ozil and Bernat:
What a truckload of dogsh*t. Defending your players is fine, except when you have to scapegoat individual players from other clubs like Ozil and Bernat just to divert blame from your own. That's ultimate cowardice.
— m (@920401) October 19, 2018
Karma pic.twitter.com/8qLgtoTdsb
— Jassi ***** ?? (@DickJones_11) October 19, 2018
What about your criticism of özil? You cannot have your cake and eat it
— Janet Rotich (@chirriey) October 19, 2018
Oh u can criticise Ozil but others can't criticise ur players..
What a hypocrite— Sanjay13³³ (@Cristian0esque) October 19, 2018
But you feel it's ok for you to criticize and degrade others ?
— JT (@silverhairedJT) October 19, 2018
The highlight - Uli Hoeneß talks of how they won’t tolerate disrespect towards their players any more.
Then absolutely nails Juan Bernat who left this summer https://t.co/1nj6mlUYTh
— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) October 19, 2018
Typical #Hoeness hypocrisy! #Bayern used this press conference as a distraction from their poor performances. How can it start with a reference to human dignity and end with insulting #Bernat? And let's not even get started on the insults he threw at Ozil in the past.
— Alima (@AlimaHotakie) October 19, 2018
See Also: Quiz: Name Every Current Premier League Captain
