Bayern Chief Says Vincent Kompany Needs ‘Protecting From Himself’ as Coach Faces Weeks Out After Collapse

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany needs "protecting from himself" and will be out for weeks after collapsing at the club's training ground on Friday, says sporting director Max Eberl.

Bayern Munich have confirmed that the 40-year-old is in a stable condition in hospital and that tests are still going on. Kompany went down while watching the club's second team train. 

He has been unwell with a virus, and he missed Tuesday's pre-match news conference ahead of the Champions League game against Arsenal, though he was back on the touchline on Wednesday.

Eberl said Bayern thought about asking for Sunday's Bundesliga game at Freiburg to be moved, but decided the best medicine for Kompany would be a good result.

"Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We're not starting to put together any timeframes," Eberl said.

He added: "We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we'll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be. We won't be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that."

Eberl also asked whether the club should have stepped in sooner. "The fact is, we protect our coach wherever we can," he said. "If a coach says he feels ready to do something, then we're not going to say 'we won't allow that' if we don't know what's going on.

"It's also everyone's own responsibility to say, 'I can't carry on now'.

"Vinnie's a hard worker. If you don't listen to the subtle signals your body sends, eventually it will scream out in pain.

"Vinnie will be given that time [now], and we'll continue to try, even more than before, to protect him from himself."

Kompany spent 11 years at Manchester City as a player and won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups. He then moved into management at Burnley, where he won the Championship in 2022-23 but could not keep them in the Premier League. He took over at Bayern in May 2024 and has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with them.

His assistant Aaron Danks has spoken to him in hospital and says football was off the table. "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."