The retired defender Jérôme Boateng has pulled out of a planned coaching internship at Bayern Munich after fans voiced their objection because of the 2014 World Cup winner being found guilty last year of assaulting his former partner.
The former Bayern and Germany centre-back, who played for the club between 2011 and 2021, had discussed a short internship with the head coach, Vincent Kompany. “Following the recent discussion regarding myself, I have decided to focus on my issues such as the A training license … that is where my focus is,” he said in a social media post addressed to Bayern and Kompany. “Your focus should be solely on the pitch and on extending this 13-match winning run.”
Bayern beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday, their 13th win from 13 matches across all competitions this season.
“I am thankful to the club leadership and you, dear Vincent, for giving me trust and the opportunity to be part of that,” Boateng said.
Bayern fans had opposed his planned internship after the player was handed a suspended fine and a warning last year by a Munich court which found him guilty of premeditated bodily harm against his former partner. An online petition, headlined “Setting borders against misogynistic violence: Jerome Boateng should not be allowed back to Bayern Munich” had collected several thousand signatures.
The 37-year-old Boateng, who made 76 appearances for Germany between 2009 and 2018, spent 10 years at Bayern after joining in 2011 from Manchester City, where he had been a teammate of Kompany. He helped Bayern win nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues.
Boateng retired last month, last featuring for the Austrian side Lask Linz, where his contract was terminated by mutual consent in August.
