Bayern Munich sacked both Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic right after the Bundesliga title win. This was because the board felt the club was not going in the right direction under the two directors.
Oliver Khan was the CEO of Bayern and Hasan Salihamidzic was the sporting director. Both of them were the leading voices of the club and were crucial in all decisions taken.
And now after winning the Bundesliga title in spectacular fashion, both were sacked. Oliver Khan will be replaced as CEO by Jan-Christian Dreesen but Salihamidzic’s replacement is yet to be announced.
Official: Bayern confirm that Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić are sacked with immediate effect. 🚨🔴 #FCBayern
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 27, 2023
Jan-Christian Dreesen will take over as new CEO while Salihamidžić's successor has yet to be found. pic.twitter.com/8eSMPGFv7B
The club’s president Herbert Hainer released a statement about the decision.
“The decision to separate from Oliver Kahn was anything but easy for the Supervisory Board. Nevertheless, due to the overall development, we have come to the decision to make a new appointment at the top of the Management Board. We would like to thank Oliver Kahn for his commitment, his ideas, and for everything we have achieved together. “
The decision was only made after the title was won, with the players, coach, and staff oblivious to the fact.
Why were the two directors sacked?
Bayern Munich has revealed that both Kahn and Salihamidzic will depart the club following a turbulent season. They fired Julian Nagelsmann in March and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel. What followed was a disaster of a season.
The whole season the team has been putting in poor performances. After Tuchel was hired, it was thought the results and performance would change. Instead, they were almost going trophyless. They were kicked out of the DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League, the latter humiliatingly to Manchester City 4-1.
They almost lost the Bundesliga title as well, but won it as Borussia Dortmund dropped points on the last day. It will be their only title of the season.
The decision to sack Nagelsmann midway through the season and hire Tuchel with no proper backing was considered a major failure on the part of the directors.
Oliver Khan was previously the goalkeeper of Bayern two decades ago. He was a legendary goalkeeper for both club and country Germany. In 2020, he was appointed to the club’s board of directors. In 2021, he took over the role of outgoing CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Under his leadership, the club has won three Bundesliga titles, one UCL title, a UEFA Super Cup, a Club World Cup, and a German Supercup.
Hasan Salihamidzic was also a club legend, playing alongside Khan. He was made the sporting director in 2017. Since then, he has brought many quality players like Lero Sane, Alphonso Davies, Benjamin Pavard, and Jamal Musiala among others.
Why was Oliver Kahn forbidden to attend the final game?
Khan was not present at the final game and nowhere near the celebrations. In an interview with Sky Germany, he said, “That was the worst day of my life, not being able to party with the boys.”
Former CEO Oliver Khan says it was the 'worst day of his life' after being sacked by Bayern Munich as they were celebrating the Bundesliga title on Saturday. #SLInt
— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) May 28, 2023
MORE: https://t.co/b1KP7O66M6 pic.twitter.com/mH1GRkIaY1
He revealed that he was phoned by Hainer on Friday to reveal he will be sacked. He was also asked not to attend any celebrations of the game and later decided to miss the game itself.
Previous rumors suggested Khan was angry after hearing the news and threatened the board. As a result, he was forbidden, though both sides have vehemently denied this.
The sudden departures of Hasan and Khan draw a parallel to the sudden sacking of Nagelsmann back in March. It seems karma does exist after all.
