Report: Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich among team’s unvaccinated; will address situation “later”

In a stunning report from Bild, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich was named as one of the team’s five unvaccinated players.

While some professional athletes have been coming under fire for their respective decisions to not get the COVID-19 vaccination in recent months, the news on Kimmich was surprising because of his charitable efforts in trying to thwart the spread of the virus and help those affected by it:

BILD reported that five professionals from Munich have not yet been vaccinated. According to BILD information, one of the non-vaccinated players is Joshua Kimmich (26). The player who fights publicly in an exemplary manner like no other against the virus and its consequences.

The issue came to light at Bayern Munich because of Julian Nagelsmann’s positive test earlier this week.

Journalist Stefan Kumberger tweeted that Kimmich will address the situation “later” — which does not necessarily mean in the postgame media fracas:

For clarification: Salihamidzic stated,#Kimmich will comment on it “later”. So it doesn’t have to be right after the game, but why should he let the topic simmer for so long without comment?

Forbes added this context:

Joshua Kimmich, the star midfielder of Germany`s national team, is one of five unvaccinated Bayern Munich players, BILD reported Friday. His WeKickCorona initiative raised $7 million to support Germans struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kimmich and Goretzka each donated $600,000 to kickstart the campaign, which was later supported by other German start athletes, including tennis player Alexander Zverev and NBA star Dennis Schroder.

1 in 10 players active in Germany`s Bundesliga soccer league remain unvaccinated, according to BILD. In comparison, 95% of NBA players were vaccinated by early September, according to the Associated Press.

Bild did not name any other players on the rumored list of five unvaccinated players.