Bayern Munich’s head coach Vincent Kompany is expected to be sidelined for several weeks after collapsing at the club’s training ground on Friday, the club’s sporting director Max Eberl confirmed. Kompany, 40, was taken to hospital in a stable condition, and further examinations are still underway. The 11‑year former Manchester City defender, who took over at Bayern in May 2024, has guided the club to back‑to‑back Bundesliga titles and is now looking to secure a third consecutive championship.
Bayern are currently joint leaders of the Bundesliga after winning four of their first six league matches. The club had considered postponing the upcoming game against Freiburg on Sunday, but Eberl said the decision was made to keep the fixture on schedule, believing that “playing and being successful” would be the best medicine for Kompany. “We will give Vinnie all the time he needs,” Eberl said. “We are not setting any timeframes yet. First we need to determine what is wrong, then we will calmly discuss the recovery period. We won’t be talking about days, but weeks.”
Kompany collapsed while watching the club’s second‑team training session. He had been ill with a virus and had missed the pre‑match press conference for Bayern’s Champions League tie against Arsenal on Tuesday. He was on the touchline for Wednesday’s match, and Eberl questioned whether the coach should have been pulled back earlier. “We protect our coach wherever we can,” Eberl added. “If a coach says he feels ready to do something, we won’t say ‘we won’t allow that’ if we don’t know what’s going on. It’s also everyone’s responsibility to say ‘I can’t carry on now.’”
Kompany’s assistant, Aaron Danks, visited him in hospital and confirmed that the club’s football operations would continue without him. “I explained to him that we would be having no football conversations,” Danks said. “It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK. All the football operations are in our hands and we’ll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward.”
The Bayern squad will have to navigate the remainder of the Bundesliga season without their manager, but the club’s leadership has pledged to support Kompany’s recovery and to keep the team focused on their title ambitions. The next match against Freiburg will proceed as scheduled, with Bayern hoping to maintain their position at the top of the table while Kompany undergoes further medical assessment.