Niko Kovac
Niko Kovac, until now the coach of Bayern Munich, was dismissed this Sunday, a day after a painful 5-1 defeat in Frankfurt and after a disappointing October, indicated the German champion club.
"Niko Kovac is no longer the coach of FC Bayern," the club said in an official statement, specifying that the decision was made between President Uli Hoeness, his right-hand man Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, also in agreement with Niko Kovac himself.
Until further notice, assistant coach Hans Flick will be in charge of the team and especially in preparing for the important matches against Olympiakos from Athens in the Champions League this Wednesday and against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday," said the chairman of the board, Rummenigge, quoted in the statement.
"The performances of our team in recent weeks and their results have shown us that action was necessary," explains Rummenigge to justify the decision.
"On behalf of Bayern, I want to thank Niko Kovac for his work and especially for the double (Bundesliga and German Cup) of last season," he said.
Sporting director Salihamidzic asked the team for a reaction: "I now expect a positive attitude and an absolute willingness to do well from our players, so that we can achieve our goals this season."
The reigning champions of Germany have won only five of their first ten league matches this season (18 points).
It is their worst start in the tournament since the 2010-2011 season and Bayern are four points behind the leader, Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Saturday's 5-1 defeat in Frankfurt was Bayern's heaviest in a decade in the national championship, since their identical result defeat in April 2009 in Wolfsburg.
"I think it is the right decision at the right time for the club," said Kovac, who has been in the position since before the 2018-2019 season, when he succeeded veteran Jupp Heynckes.
"The results and our game in recent times have led me to this conclusion," he admitted.