Bayern Munich coach Flick confirms departure at end of season

Posted Sunday, April 18, 2021 by ESPN

Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has announced that he has informed the club and players that he will leave the club at the end of the season.

After Bayern's 3-2 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday, Flick told reporters that he has made a decision to depart from the Bundesliga champions.

"I told the team today that I informed the club during the week after the game in Paris that I would like to terminate my contract at the end of the season," he told Sky Germany.

"The future is absolutely not clear. There has been no discussions regarding that. Obviously the [German] FA is an option which every coach has to think about. But this is independent of that. I decided to take this step.

"But I have to digest everything now. The last few weeks were not easy. That is why it was very important to say it to the club and the team."

Bayern Munich coach Flick confirms departure at end of season
Hansi Flick has led Bayern Munich to six titles in the past 10 months. Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images

Flick has been linked with a return to the German national team, where he could take over from Joachim Low after the 2020 European Championship this summer.

Bayern are seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table and on course to clinch a record-extending ninth consecutive league title, but they were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday at Paris Saint-Germain.

The news of Flick's departure was not totally unexpected, but Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said it was still something the team would need to take in.

"This is a very emotional issue for us all so that we will need to process this as a team," Neuer said. "Because we had a very good and successful time together.

"It was important that he told us that personally before going public. It was a sign of our good relationship."

Flick took charge of Bayern as an interim manager after the club sacked Niko Kovac in July 2019, then was given the permanent position in April 2020.

The German has steered Bayern to six titles in the past 10 months, including the club's sixth Champions League title.