Bayern Munich legend Jerome Boateng has cancelled a coaching internship at the club after fans protested vehemently against his involvement.
Supporters raised banners telling him to ‘p*** off’ in a recent 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund because last year he was found guilty of bodily harm against his former partner.
Boateng, 37, avoided jail but was given a suspended fine of just over £168,000 and a warning after committing premeditated bodily harm against the mother of his twins in 2018. The German World Cup winner denied the accusation.
He was lined up to shadow manager Vincent Kompany and Bayern wanted to help ‘rehabilitate’ him but Boateng has pulled out to protect the club’s reputation and focus on other pursuits. The pair had played together at Manchester City.
‘That’s where my focus is right now,’ he wrote on Instagram, ‘and your full focus should be solely on the pitch – and the goal of continuing this impressive streak of 13 consecutive games [wins].
‘I am very grateful to the club management and to you, dear Vincent, for the trust and the opportunity to be part of this. I wish you all from the bottom of my heart that you achieve your big goals at the end of the season. I would also like to sincerely thank the many fans for their numerous messages and support. Yours, Boa.’
Jerome Boateng has cancelled a coaching internship at Bayern Munich after fans protested due to his assault against his ex-girlfriend
Boateng is a legend at Bayern Munich, having won nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues alongside 11 other trophies
Bayern fans have got their wish after launching a petition titled ‘Setting borders against misogynistic violence: Jerome Boateng should not be allowed back to Bayern Munich.’
Their banners at the Dortmund game on October 18 read: ‘Whoever gives the perpetrator space shares his guilt. Boateng, p*** off!’
Kompany had openly welcomed the idea of Boateng coming into the camp while CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said: ‘I believe that every person is entitled to rehabilitation. Furthermore, the verdict should be considered in its entirety. And again: We have no employment relationship with Jerome.
‘Jerome has been a long-time player with us and won many titles with us. And if there is an agreement for him to watch some training sessions, as is the case as a coach, then that’s absolutely fine.’
But Bayern have accepted the cancellation and instead, the defender who retired in September will focus on his UEFA A Licence, RYZR [his business working in regeneration, training, and sleep comfort], and Arena2 [a sports and entertainment platform].
Last year, a German court gave him a suspended fine of just over £168,000 – 5,000 euros a day for 40 days – but it must only be paid if Boateng commits another offence.
The judge also ordered Boateng to pay a total of just over £84,000 to charity organisations, a court spokesperson said.
The 2014 World Cup winner, who appeared in the court in Munich wearing a dark blue suit, was accused of injuring his ex-girlfriend in a fight during a vacation in 2018.
Bayern fans recently protested against the idea of him shadowing Vincent Kompany’s staff
‘The mother of his twin daughters accused Boateng of hurling a lamp at her which missed and then throwing a small cool box which injured her arm, before hitting her and pulling her hair.
Boateng was initially found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in September 2021.
He avoided a five-year jail term and was instead fined £1.5million after being found guilty of biting, spitting at and punching her during a Caribbean holiday in 2018.
Boateng’s fine was reduced on appeal in October 2022 but then the Supreme Regional Court of Bavaria annulled the appeal court verdict in a further hearing in October 2023.
Citing ‘far-reaching procedural errors’, the judge said the verdict ‘doesn’t remotely withstand legal scrutiny’ and ordered the retrial.
In March, Boateng’s mother accused him of ‘abusing women for years’.
After another of his former partners, Kasia Lenhardt, committed suicide in February 2021, Boateng’s mother sent a document to a Berlin lawyer making the allegations.
She wrote: ‘For years, my son has been abusing women psychologically and physically, now Kasia Lenhardt has taken her own life and he still does not want to bear the consequences of his behaviour.’
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany had wanted to help out his former Manchester City team-mate
Der Spiegel revealed the message and also voice messages obtained from Lenhardt. The lawyer explained Lenhardt wanted to sue Boateng for assault prior to her tragic death.
The fashion model, 25, was found unresponsive in a Berlin apartment on February 9, 2021, the day of her son’s sixth birthday.
She had been dating Boateng for 15 months before their relationship fell apart, sparking a very public row via social media and the press.
A friend of Lenhardt’s previous told Mail Online in 2021: ‘She died a week after Jerome gave an interview in which he said their relationship was over. He said some really nasty things about Kasia. She was very upset by it.’
Boateng has continued to deny the allegations labelled against him by Spiegel and the player’s lawyer responded in March, explaining: ‘Due to ongoing proceedings, it is currently not possible for our client to answer your questions in detail.
‘Therefore, basically: they are simply misinformed to a large extent; beyond that, it seems that you are only being provided with selective information.’
Boateng won nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues at Bayern as well as 11 other trophies. He spent a decade at the club after joining in 2011 from Manchester City, where he had won the FA Cup.
