Julian Nagelsmann: Objectivity lacking in outcry over Qatar at General Assembly

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann discussed the chaos at Bayern Munich’s Annual General Assembly today in the context of his press conference before the team plays Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. Nagelsmann revealed that security escorted him out of the hall as the meeting came to a tumultuous close.

“It did not get to bed until 2:36,” Nagelsmann said. “There was indeed a slightly aggressive atmosphere [at the assembly]. I actually wanted to show a bit of closeness to the fans and do a few selfies, but then security escorted me out sooner rather than later.”

Nagelsmann stressed the importance of listening to critical opinions, but he felt that the assembly lacked objectivity and disputed whether they represented the opinion of all fans. Nagelsmann said, “I think it’s very important to listen to others’ opinions. But on a factual level—that was not always the case yesterday.”

“You cannot make two mistakes,” Nagelsmann continued: “First, to refuse to listen to the fans, and second, you have to be aware that that was not a representative opinion of all Bayern fans.”

Nagelsmann acknowledged the importance of the Qatar question, but did not claim to understand all the details. “I thought the subjects were interesting. I don’t quite know everything about the workings of the club, especially in legal terms. In the end, I’m glad I was there, even if it got late.”

At the end of the press conference, Nagelsmann was asked again specifically about the uproar over Qatar. He answered, “In the end, it is always a question of the context in which you discuss such subjects. The subject of Qatar riles people up—perhaps that was not the right context for discussing such an emotional subject. It’s an important topic, but the objectivity was somewhat lacking.”

“If you fight with your significant other, you don’t do that at Marienplatz, but rather at home,” Nagelsmann concluded.