Max Eberl’s contract extension with FC Bayern has long been official, yet the decision continues to spark discussion behind the scenes. The main reason for this is Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The former CEO is said to have withheld his vote from the sporting director during the decisive vote in the supervisory board.
According to information from SPORT1, Eberl’s contract extension through 2029 was not approved unanimously. Rummenigge reportedly did not vote against the new contract but abstained. The 70-year-old is said to continue to view Eberl’s work with a critical eye.
Rummenigge is said not only to have reservations about Eberl’s work to date but also to have taken issue with the fact that Uli Hoeneß had publicly presented the contract extension as practically a done deal even before the supervisory board’s actual decision.
Eberl himself was asked about the reports before the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin. However, the sporting director does not wish to attach much significance to the internal vote.
“I just want to do my job.”
“My contract extension was a big issue. I was hoping that with the signing, it would now be over. I’ve always said: I wanted to do my job, I want to do my work, and then the supervisory board will make a decision,” Eberl explained.
That very decision has now been made. According to the 53-year-old, who within the supervisory board voted for him and who did not is not an issue for him.
“The supervisory board has made a decision. I have no idea who voted how, but I believe FC Bayern Munich and the supervisory board gave the extension a great deal of thought,” emphasized the sporting director.
In doing so, Eberl avoided a direct response to Rummenigge’s abstention. Instead, he pointed to the result: His contract has been extended, and his future at FC Bayern is secured through 2029.
Eberl sets his sights on the future
However, it’s no secret that there have been differing views regarding Eberl within Bayern’s leadership in recent months. Hoeneß, too, had recently admitted that the club had not always been fully satisfied with the sporting director’s approach at times. At the same time, the honorary president praised Eberl’s development and, in particular, his work during the past summer transfer window.
With this contract extension, the supervisory board has ultimately decided to continue on the path it has taken with Eberl. The contract of CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen was also extended through 2029. Sporting director Christoph Freund likewise received a new contract through 2029.
Eberl would therefore like to put the discussions surrounding him behind him once and for all.
“Accordingly, I will now continue my work to the best of my ability through 2029 and strive to be as successful as I have been over the past two years,” explained the Bayern boss.
Although Rummenigge’s abstention shows that Eberl’s contract extension did not receive equal support from all members of the supervisory board, it does not change the decision itself: Eberl has earned the confidence of the required majority and is set to continue shaping FC Bayern’s sporting future in the coming years.