Former FC Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has criticized the club's leadership for failing to publicly back its board member for sport, Max Eberl, amid ongoing speculation about his future.
"In the past, it was not a good sign when names were repeatedly circulated in public," Kahn told the Bild newspaper in an interview published on Friday, referring to speculation about potential replacements for Eberl.
Kahn said Eberl deserved a certain level of support and trust from the club's hierarchy.
Allowing such speculation to persist without clarification only made his job harder and weakened his standing, the former German goalkeeper added.
Eberl has faced public scrutiny during his time at Bayern, especially after his remarks about the impending departure of club legend Thomas Müller appeared to conflict with those of honorary president Uli Hoeness.
Last week, Eberl acknowledged that he may have misjudged the situation when, back in January, he suggested that formal contract talks with Thomas Müller wouldn't be necessary. At the time, he said: "When he says he wants to continue, we'll look each other in the eye, check the squad, and it will continue."
The comment implied that Müller simply needed to give the green light for a renewal. Reflecting on it now, Eberl admitted the comment was driven by emotion.
"Maybe I wasn't clever to say that," he told Sport1 TV. "I was simply emotional because I couldn't imagine a Bundesliga, an FC Bayern without Thomas Müller at that time."
Meanwhile, speculation continues to swirl around Bayern's potential interest in Mario Gomez, currently part of RB Leipzig's management, as well as Austria's national coach Ralf Rangnick, who has also been linked with the club.
