Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is stable, but will have to spend several more days in hospital and will be missing for weeks after collapsing at their training centre on Friday, board member for sport Max Eberl has said.
Eberl said on Saturday that Kompany will only return once he is fully fit again, saying that “we’re not talking in terms of days, but weeks. We’re all clear on that.”
The coaching staff takes over and assistant Aaron Danks is in charge for the time being at matches, starting with Sunday’s Bundesliga date at Freiburg which Eberl said Bayern didn’t consider postponing.
Kompany, 40, had been suffering from a virus lately and collapsed while watching a training session of Bayern’s reserves. He was taken to hospital and Eberl and Danks provided updates on Saturday.
More days in hospital
“The good news is he’s stable. I spoke with him last night, with his wife too. It wasn’t a nice moment for all of us, he collapsed on the pitch yesterday and will spend a few more days in hospital until everything is checked over,” Eberl said.
“It shows again how health is the most important thing in life – not football. So, all of us send our best well-wishes. We as FC Bayern stand together. The most important thing is that the cause is established and he gets fit again. He’ll only come back when he’s fit.”
Eberl said that doctors are “doing nothing but trying to find out what it is. The tests have already yielded some results, but further results are needed to determine exactly what it is and how long it will take for him to recover. I’m not a doctor. But we can support him with energy and love.”
No Freiburg match postponement
The reserve team’s match scheduled for Saturday was postponed because the players were shaken after seeing Kompany collapse.
Eberl said they didn’t consider asking for a postponement of the Freiburg match for which he confirmed midfielder Joshua Kimmich to be missing as well due to a passing in his immediate family. In addition, Jamal Musiala is not fit yet and Kim Minjae injured.
“It’s a difficult situation, we’re only human,” Danks said.
“You can’t predict a situation like this, but I’ve come to know how strong the boys are, how strong their winning mentality is. We’ve created a family unit over the years, and Vinnie’s played a big part in that. We’re relying on that now and obviously it will help us in this situation.”
Kompany overworked?
Kompany suffered from a virus and hip problems a week ago and watched Bayern’s 6-1 win over RB Leipzig sitting in the dug-out. He missed final preparations and a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Arsenal, but coached the team during the match that ended 2-2.
There have been suggestions that Kompany has damaged his health by working too much at Bayern, where he arrived in 2024 and won two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup.
Eberl said: “”Of course, in hindsight, you can try to pick something out. The fact is: we protect our coach wherever we can. If a coach says he feels ready to do something, then we’re not going to say, ‘We won’t allow that’ if we don’t know what’s going on.
“We held him back for two days because he wasn’t feeling well. Then he recovered well and felt fit. He has a mind of his own and the right to make his own decisions. He wanted to be involved in the [Arsenal] match and felt good. That was fine.
“Now this has happened – it’s also everyone’s own responsibility to say, ‘I can’t carry on now.’ Vinnie’s a hard worker. If you don’t listen to the subtle signals your body sends, eventually it will scream out in pain. We have to accept that.
“Vinnie will be given that time, and we’ll continue to try, even more than before, to protect him from himself.”
Sunday’s match
Champions Bayern top the table ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference and Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen are one point behind.
They play Dortmund next week and face a difficult trip to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on November 3, but Eberl said the club has full faith in the coaching staff.
“All the guys here are outstanding – and so, in the spirit of Vinnie, which everyone carries within them, we can all tackle the coming weeks,” Eberl said.
Bayern are unbeaten in 20 Bundesliga matches since 2015 against Freiburg, of which they have won 16. Freiburg led 2-0 in both games last season, but Bayern bounced back to win 6-2 at home and 3-2 in Freiburg from two stoppage time goals.
Eberl hopes for another good showing on Sunday which would also be in Kompany’s interest.
“The greatest joy for Vinnie is surely that we’re playing tomorrow and might even get a win; that’s the best aid to his recovery,” he said.
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