BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac has hinted that departing veterans Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will not be in the starting 11 for their final Bundesliga appearance against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Bayern need to avoid defeat against Frankfurt if they are to secure a seventh successive Bundesliga title, and Kovac suggested on Thursday that pragmatism may come before sentimentality when it comes to Robben and Ribery.
“As a coach you always have to be a coach on the one hand and a human being on the other, and they are not always compatible,” said Kovac.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Robben had voiced his hope of making one final start for Bayern at the Allianz Arena, and joked that he would score two goals if he played 90 minutes.
“Of course Arjen wants to play,” said Kovac.
The Bayern coach said he had already spoken to both Robben and Ribery about their roles on Saturday, but refused to confirm whether they would be in the starting lineup.
“I am going to leave you in the dark on that one,” he told reporters.
Kovac confirmed that James Rodriguez would be unavailable against Frankfurt, and said Thiago and Joshua Kimmich hoped to return to full fitness in time to play.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who has been out with a calf injury since April, is also expected to miss out.
Bayern hope to wrap up a league and cup double in the next two weeks, but their success has not stopped questions about Kovac’s future.
Amid speculation he may be fighting for his job, the Bayern coach made an emotional plea for more empathy in football on Thursday.
“I have learned how difficult it is to stay a normal person,” he said of his first season at Bayern. “We have to learn to have more empathy.”
“If I slap you, then the pain will fade after a while, but it will be worse for the soul,” he told reporters.
“We have to see the person in front of us and not just pile in all the time.”
Robben, Ribery set for bench in Bayern farewell
Robben, Ribery set for bench in Bayern farewell
- Coach Kovac says pragmatism may come before sentimentality
- Bayern hopes to wrap up a league and cup double in the next two weeks
Soccer-Senegal to get bonuses, land for Africa Cup of Nations win
- The bonuses of $134,892.09 for each of the squad’s 28 players total $3.7 million
- The players will also receive 1,500 square-meter plots of land
DAKAR: Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has offered bonuses of more than $130,000 as well as plots of coastal land to each member of the country’s soccer team following their victory in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
He spoke at a ceremony in the capital Dakar on Tuesday night during which thousands of jubilant supporters took to the streets to welcome the victorious Lions of Teranga home.
Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, having staged a walk-off after they had a penalty awarded against them deep in stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes.
After the Senegal players returned to the pitch, Morocco missed the spot kick and Pape Gueye then won the trophy with a superb strike four minutes into extra time.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Senegal players rode atop a bus emblazoned with the words “African champions” along Dakar’s corniche toward the presidential palace.
The bonuses of 75 million CFA francs ($134,892.09) for each of the squad’s 28 players total 2.1 billion CFA francs or $3.7 million. The players will also receive 1,500 square-meter plots of land.
In addition, Faye said members of Senegal’s soccer federation would receive 50 million CFA francs and 1,000 square-meter plots, while members of the Senegalese delegation to Morocco would receive 20 million CFA francs and 500 square-meter plots.
He said sports ministry staff would receive 305 million CFA francs in bonuses.
SENEGAL FACES DEBT WOES
The pledges come as Senegal grapples with debts that the International Monetary Fund said hit 132 percent of GDP at the end of 2024 after the current leadership uncovered billions in debts that were not reported by the previous administration.
The IMF froze a $1.8 billion lending program over the controversy, forcing Senegal to rely heavily on regional debt auctions to meet its financing needs.
The new IMF mission chief traveled to Senegal for an introductory visit this week.
“Dear Lions, you have honored the flag entrusted to you. You have honored Senegal. You have shown by example that when Senegalese people move forward together with discipline and confidence, no challenge is beyond their reach,” Faye said on Tuesday while speaking on a stage in front of the presidential palace.
Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2021, beating Egypt in the final. Back then, players were awarded bonuses worth 50 million CFA francs and 200 square-meter plots of land.
Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, said in December that the winners of the 35th edition in Morocco would receive $10 million in prize money.
