By Christian Kunz, dpa I Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024
MUNICH – Max Eberl is to become Bayern Munich’s new sporting director as of March 1, the Bundesliga champions said on Monday.
Eberl, 50, signed a contract with the Munich club until the summer of 2027.
The long-serving sporting director of Borussia Mönchengladbach had been Bayern’s preferred candidate.
Eberl was most recently at Bayern’s rivals RB Leipzig. But he was sacked in September after a short spell, with the club criticizing his commitment. Speculation swirled that he had been talking to Bayern.
The supervisory board of Bayern made the final decision to sign Eberl on Monday evening.
Munich’s board also unanimously re-elected Herbert Hainer as chair of the club. His deputies Werner Zedelius, Gernot Döllner and Jan Heinemann were also re-elected to their posts.
“I am very pleased to be able to continue as chair of this high-calibre board and would like to thank all my colleagues on the supervisory board for their consistently trusting and goal-oriented cooperation,” Hainer said in a statement.
“Continuity is a central keyword at FC Bayern, and we want to continue to make our contribution to a successful future for FC Bayern.”
The Munich club will pay a transfer fee of €4.5 million ($4.8 million) to Leipzig, dpa has learned.
Eberl, a native Bavarian who used to play for the club’s amateur team in the 1990s, said he was delighted to return to his home club.
“I spent my entire childhood and youth at Bayern and in Munich, so it is something special for me to now return in a new role to the club where it all began,” he was quoted as saying in a press release.
“The task as sporting director is a great challenge, which I will approach with a lot of respect and humility, but with even more anticipation.”
Eberl’s appointment in Munich creates a new layer of management at the Bavarian powerhouse club.
As sporting director, Eberl will be particularly involved in the appointment of a new coach. At the end of the season, the German serial champions will part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel.
Chief executive Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic were sacked at the end of last season after the bungled exit of coach Julian Nagelsmann and Bayern only just sneaking an 11th straight title under Tuchel.
