Sports
Bayern Relieve CEO, Sporting Director of Duties
Bayern Munich celebrated winning their 11th straight Bundesliga title on the last day of the 2022/2023 season, in a bizarre fashion by sacking Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Kahn and Sporting Director, Hasan Salihamidzic.
FC Bayern made the disclosure on Saturday via a disclaimer on Saturday.
Barely 60 minutes after their last game of the season, the club released a statement on its website to confirm the decision.
The Club added that it would offer more details as to the direction it would be travelling at a press conference at 11:30 am Munich time on Sunday.
The statement read, “Oliver Kahn is no longer CEO of FC Bayern Munchen.
“Hasan Salihamidzic will also be replaced as a board member for sport. This was decided by the club’s supervisory board.
“Kahn will be replaced by the current vice-chairman of the board Jan-Christian Dreesen. Salihamidzic’s successor is still to be decided.”
Meanwhile, Kahn congratulated the team on Twitter for their victory but stated that he couldn’t celebrate with them because the club prohibited him from doing so.
On the other hand, Salihamidzic expressed his pride in working for Bayern for six years, which he described as a beautiful journey that he would have liked to continue. However, he respected the decision of the board.
In a related development, the club’s vice-chairman, Jan-Christian Dreesen, had already announced that he would leave the club at the end of the season.
It is left to be known, if he will have a change of heart in the face of these recent developments.
Chairman, Supervisory Board of Bayern Munich, Herbert Hainer said in the statement that “the decision to part with 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 executive board,”
Biztellers reports that FC Bayern’s season was marked by nervy twists, and as a result, the club’s two strong men, Salihamidzic and Kahn, had to bear the brunt.
The team was dumped out of the German Cup and Champions League at the quarter-finals, and they only won the league title because Borussia Dortmund dropped points against Mainz on the final day.
Part of what marked the season was that Salihamidzic and Kahn gambled by parting ways with Julian Nagelsmann and hiring Thomas Tuchel as the coach in midseason, yet, the results were not impacted positively.
Analysts are of the opinion that on and off-field incidents impacted on the Club’s performance during the season, citing the brawl between Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane.
Salihamidzic, who played more than 230 Bundesliga games for the club, became the sports director in July 2017 and joined the management board in 2020.
During his time, the club won the Champions League in 2020 and the Bundesliga every year.
In the same vein, Kahn, who played more than 420 league games in goal for Bayern, became the chairman of the board in July 2021. He was absent during the match in Cologne due to the flu.
Chelsea FC have been slammed with a £10.75 million ($14.27 million) fine and hit with a suspended one-year transfer ban by the Premier League for historical breaches of league rules.
The sanctions, announced on Monday, also include an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban, preventing Chelsea from registering new youth players from other academies during this period.
The Premier League said the penalties stem from information provided by the consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly following their takeover of the club in 2022 from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
SEE ALSO: Abramovich Clashes with UK Gov’t Over £2.35bn Chelsea Sale Funds
While the one-year transfer ban is suspended and may only be enforced if further violations occur, the fine and academy ban immediately take effect, marking a significant regulatory action against one of England’s top football clubs.
Chelsea are currently competing in domestic competitions while rebuilding their squad under Boehly’s ownership.
The club is yet to release an official statement responding to the sanctions.
Joan Laporta has been re-elected as president of FC Barcelona after securing a commanding victory in the club’s latest presidential election.
Laporta polled over 68 per cent of the votes cast by members, comfortably defeating his main rival, Victor Font, who received close to 30 per cent of the ballots.
The remaining votes were declared void or invalid.
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The victory secures Laporta another five-year term beginning July 1, 2026, marking his second consecutive term and fourth overall as president of the Catalan giants.
Laporta previously led Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, a highly successful period that included the appointment of legendary coach Pep Guardiola, under whom the club enjoyed one of the most dominant eras in its history.
Speaking after his re-election, the 63-year-old expressed confidence about the club’s future, promising more success in the coming years.
“It makes us unstoppable. No one will stop us. Exciting years lie ahead,” Laporta said.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the squad and completing the ongoing redevelopment of the iconic Camp Nou stadium.
The election recorded a turnout of about 42.34 per cent, with nearly 48,500 club members participating in the voting process.
Despite financial challenges in recent seasons, Barcelona have enjoyed a strong campaign this year, already securing a domestic treble and currently sitting four points ahead of rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.
The Spanish side are also preparing for the round-of-16 second leg of the UEFA Champions League against Newcastle United after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
African club football is set for a financial shake-up as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announces a substantial increase in prize money for its top club competitions this season.
According to a CAF statement released on Monday, winners of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League will now take home $6 million (≈€5.18 million), up from $4 million last season. Meanwhile, the CAF Confederation Cup champions — Africa’s second-tier club competition — will earn $4 million, marking a 50% increase from last year.
SEE MORE: CAF Switches Afcon to Hold Every Four Years From 2028
Prize money for runners-up remains unchanged, with Champions League finalists receiving $2 million and Confederation Cup finalists $1 million.
The move has been welcomed by clubs, which have long complained that competing in African competitions often results in financial losses.
High travel costs, particularly airfares, have been a major challenge, with many clubs forced to take longer, costlier routes through Europe or the Middle East due to limited direct flights between African countries.
Since Patrice Motsepe, the South African businessman and CAF president, took office in 2021, prize money for African club competitions has steadily increased.
Motsepe, now in his second four-year term, has been championing financial sustainability and growth for African club football.
CAF’s quarter-final first-leg matches kick off this weekend, starting in Pretoria, South Africa, where Mamelodi Sundowns host Stade Malien of Mali in the Champions League.
Football fans across the continent are eagerly anticipating a weekend full of high-stakes action.
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