Vincent Kompany’s collapse continues to be a topic of discussion in German soccer. While the head coach of FC Bayern is being treated in the hospital, the debate over the enormous stress of the coaching profession is intensifying. Now Matthias Sammer has also weighed in. The former Bayern sporting director is particularly critical of how the public treats coaches, and he’s using unusually strong language to make his point.
Kompany collapsed last Friday after the first team’s training session while watching a practice by the reserve team. The 40-year-old has been under medical care ever since. FC Bayern has already announced that it will give its coach all the time he needs to recover.
Numerous former players, coaches, and experts have recently sent the Belgian their best wishes for a speedy recovery. Sammer, however, takes a critical view of the public debate. What bothers him most is that the pressures faced by coaches are often not taken seriously until something actually happens.
“This outpouring of sympathy disgusts me to some extent.”
On the Sky show “Sammer & Basile – der Hagedorn-Talk,” the 59-year-old spoke out in no uncertain terms. “Our coaches are only human, too. And my thought was: Now there’s this outpouring of sympathy, and it disgusts me to some extent,” Sammer explained.
The 1996 European champion wasn’t trying to deny Kompany’s sympathy, however. Rather, he criticized the double standards in dealing with illness. “How many people out there are perhaps going through something similar right now—with a virus, a collapse, or an illness—hoping that it’s nothing serious? But we expect the Bayern Munich coach to be healthy at all times,” Sammer pointed out.
The former Bayern executive is therefore calling for a fundamental shift in thinking. “We put far too much pressure on coaches, and then we’re suddenly up in arms when one of them collapses or isn’t feeling well.”
Sammer calls for better protection for Kompany
Sammer is particularly concerned about the responsibility and the often-underestimated loneliness of coaches.
The 59-year-old therefore believes clubs also have a duty to better protect their coaches from burnout. “But it’s also a matter of addressing internally how to better protect the coach in a situation like the one we’re currently facing,” he emphasized.
At FC Bayern, the focus is currently on Kompany’s full recovery. A quick return to the sidelines is not expected.
Assistant coach Aaron Danks, who is standing in for the Belgian for the time being, gave a cautiously positive health update at the start of the week. “He’s in good spirits. It looks like he’s getting better every day,” the Englishman explained after a visit to the hospital.
However, it is still not possible to make specific statements about when he will return. There are still “no major predictions.” “He is very calm and is being given all the time he needs to recover,” Danks added.
The 43-year-old will therefore also lead the Munich team on Wednesday in the DFB Cup match against 1. FC Magdeburg.
For Sammer, one thing is clear: The Kompany case should serve as an opportunity to fundamentally reevaluate how coaches are treated—and not just show consideration when health problems arise.