BERLIN (AP) — If Bayern Munich wanted to present a united front before it hosts Real Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, it has failed.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday his honor as coach has been insulted by club powerbroker Uli Hoeneß.
Hoeneß, now Bayern’s honorary president after more than 40 years at the forefront of the club, suggested on Friday that Tuchel was not capable of helping young players develop.
“He doesn’t think he can improve a Davies, Pavlović or Musiala. If it doesn’t work, you should buy someone else,” Hoeneß said during a panel discussion hosted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. “I think you should work hard on them and give them confidence.”
Hoeneß said he expects a coach to “improve young players.”
Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlović and Jamal Musiala are all young players who have featured prominently for Bayern this season. The 19-year-old Pavlović made his debut under Tuchel in an 8-0 rout of Darmstadt last October and has since been called up by Germany.
Davies and Pavlović entered as substitutes in Bayern’s win over Frankfurt on Saturday and are likely to play against Madrid on Tuesday, while Musiala is battling to be fit for the match.
Tuchel said Hoeneß’ comments “are so far removed from reality that there’s no … I don’t know how I should answer. On the one hand it insults my honor as a coach, because I think we’ve shown as a coaching team for the last 15 years that young players, especially from the academy, always, always, always have a place with us in training and that they have a place on the field with their performances.”
Tuchel is set to leave Bayern at the end of the season after both club and coach agreed in February to end their collaboration after a run of three games without a win. Bayer Leverkusen subsequently won the Bundesliga, ending Bayern’s 11-year reign as champion, but Tuchel could yet lead the club to Champions League glory.
Many Bayern fans have signed a petition calling on the club to keep Tuchel in charge instead of hiring Ralf Rangnick, the favorite to take over after rejections from Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery.
But there’s little chance of Tuchel staying, even if the club powerbrokers changed their minds.
Tuchel told Sky TV he had “very little understanding” for Hoeneß’ “absolutely baseless” comments.
“It’s so far removed from reality that I wouldn’t have reacted to it at all if it hadn’t come from Uli Hoeneß. If it hadn’t come from Uli, then I would have said, ‘Guys, it’s not even worth talking about,’” Tuchel said. “Because it’s from Uli, because it’s from our boss, because it’s four days before the game against Real Madrid, it’s judged a bit differently.”
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Bayern's head coach Thomas Tuchel applauds during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's head coach Thomas Tuchel observes during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Flash floods from seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed hundreds of people and injured a “substantial number,” a Taliban official said Saturday, without giving exact figures.
The floods hit mostly the northern region of the country. The province of Baghlan bore the brunt of the deluges Friday with officials preliminary reporting at least 50 people dead and properties destroyed in multiple districts.
In neighboring Takhar province, state-owned media outlets reported the floods killed at least 20 people.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government posted on social media platform X on Saturday, saying that "hundreds ... have succumbed to these calamitous floods, while a substantial number have sustained injuries.”
Mujahid identified the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor and Herat as the worst hit. He added that “the extensive devastation” has resulted in “significant financial losses.”
He said the government had ordered all available resources mobilized to rescue people, transport the injured and recover the bodies of the dead.
The Taliban defense ministry said in a statement Saturday that the country’s air force has already begun evacuating people in Baghlan and has rescued a large number of people stuck in flooded areas and transported 100 injured people to military hospitals in the region.
Richard Bennett, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan said on X that the floods are a stark reminder of Afghanistan’s vulnerability to the climate crisis and both immediate aid and long-term planning by the Taliban and international actors are needed.
Videos posted on social media showed dozens of people gathered Saturday behind the hospital in Baghlan looking for their loved ones. An official tells them that they should go and start digging graves while their staff are busy with preparing bodies for the burial ceremony.
Officials previously said that in April at least 70 people died from heavy rains and flash flooding in the country. About 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were also damaged.
Dead bodies of Afghan people are placed on the ground after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
Dead bodies of Afghan people are placed on the ground after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
People are seen near to their damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
An Afghan man stands near his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
People walk near their damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
People gather around their damaged houses after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
People clean up their damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
An Afghan man walks near his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
People clean up their damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
A man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
Damaged houses are seen after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
An Afghan man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
A damaged house is seen after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
Damaged houses are seen after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
Damaged houses are seen after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
A damaged house is seen after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
Flash floods kill hundreds and injure many others in Afghanistan, Taliban says
Flash floods kill hundreds and injure many others in Afghanistan, Taliban says
An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
