Former Bayern Munich central defender Jerome Boateng stands on the day of the verdict in his trial for bodily harm at a regional court in Munich, Germany, July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Simon
MUNICH, Germany, (Reuters) -Retired defender Jerome Boateng on Saturday pulled out of a planned coaching internship at Bayern Munich after fans voiced their objection due to the 2014 World Cup winner being found guilty of assaulting a former girlfriend last year.
The former Bayern and Germany defender, who played for the club between 2011 and 2021, had discussed a short internship with coach Vincent Kompany.
"Following the recent discussion regarding myself, I have decided to focus on my issues such as the A training license.... that is where my focus is," he said in a social media post addressed to Bayern and Kompany.
"Your focus should be solely on the pitch and on extending this 13-match winning run."
Bayern beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday to bag their 13th win from 13 matches across all competitions this season.
"I am thankful to the club leadership and you, dear Vincent, for giving me trust and the opportunity to be part of that," Boateng said.
Bayern fans had opposed his planned internship after the player was handed a suspended fine and a warning last year by a Munich court which found him guilty of premeditated bodily harm against his former partner.
An online petition, headlined "Setting borders against misogynistic violence: Jerome Boateng should not be allowed back to Bayern Munich" had collected several thousand signatures.
The 2024 trial was the third in the bodily harm case.
The 37-year-old Boateng, who made 76 appearances for Germany between 2009 and 2018, spent 10 years at Bayern after joining in 2011 from Manchester City where he had been a teammate of Kompany. He helped Bayern win nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions League trophies.
Boateng retired last month, last featuring for Austrian side LASK Linz where his contract was terminated by mutual consent in August.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
