‘A marriage of convenience’ — Leadership divide at Bayern Munich per report

02 November 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Soccer: Bundesliga, general meeting of FC Bayern Munich. Bayern's Sports Director Christoph Freund (l, Bayern Munich) and Chief Sports Officer Max Eberl (Bayern Munich) wait for the Annual General Meeting to begin. The election of the executive committee is also on the agenda. Photo: Harry Langer/dpa (Photo by Harry Langer/picture alliance via Getty Images)

According to a report from Kicker (as captured by Tz journalists Mano Bonke and Stefan Schmid), there could be a growing issue in the Bayern Munich front office involving board member for sport Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund as it pertains to how they are valued by their superiors:

But while the team appears united on the field, it’s not all sunshine and roses among the leadership. A report by Kicker suggesting that the relationship between Max Eberl and Christoph Freund is more of a “marriage of convenience” aligns with information from Absolut Bayern. Eberl, in particular, always seems somewhat on the sidelines when it comes to his interactions with sporting director Freund and CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. The atmosphere between Freund and Dreesen, on the other hand, is excellent.

At the end of May, Bayern Munich’s supervisory board will meet and discuss the future of Max Eberl and Christoph Freund. Their contracts run until June 2027. However, whether they will extend their contracts is questionable, not least because of their relationship. According to Absolut Bayern, Eberl has the support of the board’s chairman, Herbert Hainer, on his side.

If this all sounds a little too familiar, it is because the last time there was a “leadership divide” it involved head coach Hansi Flick (very loosely backed by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge) and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić (very strongly backed by Uli Hoeneß). In the end, Brazzo won that war, but did go on to eventually get sacked with CEO Oliver Kahn in 2023 after some erratic decision-making.

Freund was brought in that summer, while Eberl joined in the early winter of 2024 after Freund has a pretty disastrous transfer window. The problem for Eberl is that while he has had some great signings and sales, his handling of negotiations for contract extensions has not impressed the supervisory. Notably, Hoeneß and Rummenigge might not be fans of Eberl per the report:

It has long been common knowledge that neither Uli Hoeneß nor Karl-Heinz Rummenigge are particularly fond of Eberl. However, should he even want to stay at Bayern, he still holds some decisive cards. After all, Munich still has an excellent chance of winning the treble. Vincent Kompany and Luis Díaz, both signed by Eberl, have played no small part in this.

It would likely be difficult to explain to the public why the club is refusing to extend the contract of sporting director Eberl, given that he was the one who brought in the triple-winning coach. It’s quite possible that others within the club will also be dependent on Bayern’s titles. On Eberl’s side, this would likely include his confidant and head of scouting, Nils Schmadtke; in the “Freund camp,” Jochen Sauer joins Dreesen.

Even during a wildly successful season for the Bavarians, internal politics are ever-present and always in motion.

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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