On the evening of May 27, right after Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga championship for the 2022-2023 season, CEO Oliver Kahn and Sports Director Hasan Salihamidzic were fired by the Bavarian "gray tigers".

Bayern Munich's celebrations for their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title were marred by the sackings. Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic were held responsible for Bayern Munich's poor form this season, most notably their elimination in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Oliver Kahn (right) and Hasan Salihamidzic must take responsibility for Bayern Munich's decline in the 2022-2023 season. Photo: Getty

Bayern Munich only won the German national championship in the last minute of the season, on the evening of May 27, when Jamal Musiala scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Cologne, helping Bayern Munich win the championship thanks to a better goal difference than Borussia Dortmund, who missed the chance to win the championship when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Mainz at home.

Immediately after coach Thomas Tuchel and his team lifted the silver medal, Bayern Munich issued a brief announcement: The club's supervisory board has decided to fire Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic.

Coach Thomas Tuchel was stunned by the club's decision: "Instead of celebrating, we now have urgent problems to deal with. But I believe that the new leadership will continue to put their trust in the coaching staff."

Bayern Munich President Herbert Hainer said the decision to fire the two top leaders of the team was highly agreed upon by the board of directors. Vice President of the Supervisory Board Jan-Christian Dreesen will take over the position of CEO from Oliver Kahn, while it is still necessary to find a successor to Hasan Salihamidzic. In a press conference held on May 28, new CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen announced: "We thank Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic for their contributions in the past. Now is the time for Bayern Munich to tighten its solidarity to move towards new ambitions."

The sacking of coach Julian Nagelsmann and the appointment of Thomas Tuchel in March 2023 has backfired on Bayern Munich, and has exposed flaws in the rich club’s personnel planning. The “civil war” that often occurs when faced with disappointment is still simmering inside the “gray tigers”.

According to German media, Oliver Kahn was the one who orchestrated the firing of coach Julian Nagelsmann to bring in strategist Thomas Tuchel. Oliver Kahn also created many other personnel disturbances, causing controversy in the team's locker room.

Oliver Kahn, the famous former Germany goalkeeper and Bayern Munich captain who won eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups and the Champions League in 2001, returned to the club in 2020 on a five-year contract, initially as a member of the Supervisory Board before taking over as CEO in 2022. Hasan Salihamidzic, who won six Bundesliga titles, four German Cups and the Champions League in 2001 with Bayern Munich, became Bayern Munich's sporting director in 2017.

Towards the end of the 2022-2023 Bundesliga season, it seemed that Dortmund would be crowned champions, but in the end, the Ruhr team “shot themselves in the foot”. In a broader view, the strategy of buying bright young talents and then selling them for huge profits has prevented Dortmund from competing for the national championship with Bayern Munich. Last summer, Dortmund sold Haaland to Manchester City; a year before that, the Ruhr team sold Sancho to Manchester United.

Currently, the team's brightest star, striker Bellingham, is also preparing to leave, with an expected transfer fee of more than 100 million euros. It is known that Bayern Munich is raising the issue of recruiting Bellingham with the Dortmund leadership. The Bavarian team is in need of a top striker to refresh the attack, and English striker Bellingham is considered the most suitable for coach Thomas Tuchel's playing philosophy.

TRUNG GIANG