Jerome Boateng will not return to Bayern Munich after a spell training with the first team, the club has confirmed.
The 35-year-old, who spent a decade at Bayern before his departure in 2021, was invited to train with the club after injuries to Dayot Upamecano, Min-jae Kim, Matthijs de Ligt and Tarek Buchmann left them short of centre-back options.
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Upamecano and Kim have since returned to first-team action while De Ligt is progressing in his recovery and Bayern have subsequently opted to not bring back Boateng, who has been a free agent since departing Lyon in the summer.
Bayern’s consideration over whether to re-sign the defender was controversial due to a court case relating to alleged grievous bodily harm.
Remind me who Boateng is…
Jerome Boateng, 35, is a centre-back who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, two Champions Leagues (2013, 2020), as well as 20 other major trophies, with Bayern and the 2010-11 FA Cup with Manchester City. In 2016, he was voted Germany’s footballer of the year.
What was he initially accused of and by whom?
In February 2019, Boateng was charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a former girlfriend, the mother of his twin daughters, during a holiday in the Caribbean. He denied all allegations.
What did his club do at the time?
Bayern’s then president Uli Hoeness publicly told Boateng to look for a new club in May 2019, but he continued to play for them and became a key part of their 2019-20 treble-winning side. By the time his trial started in the autumn of 2021, Boateng was no longer contracted to the serial German champions but playing for French club Lyon, where he spent two seasons.
What happened in the trial?
Boateng was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and of insulting his ex. He was fined €1.8million (£1.6m; $1.9m). Boateng, public prosecutors and the alleged victim all appealed against the verdict. After a second hearing, in October 2022, the guilty verdict was upheld. The judge said he was “absolutely satisfied” that Boateng had hit, punched, spat at and insulted his former girlfriend. His fine was reduced to €1.6m in line with Boateng’s reduced earnings at the time, but the punishment was heavier: unlike in the first trial, the verdict resulted in a criminal record.
Why did the appeal court verdict get overturned?
All three parties appealed once more, with Boateng seeking an acquittal and public prosecutors asking for further punishment. After the third hearing, last month in the Supreme Regional Court of Bavaria, the appeal court verdict was annulled. “It doesn’t remotely withstand legal scrutiny,” the judge said, citing “far-reaching procedural errors” such as the improper interpretation of contradictory evidence and the appeal court judge wrongly deciding a challenge for bias by Boateng’s lawyers himself. The Supreme Regional Court ordered a retrial.
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Is he re-signing for Bayern?
No.
Boateng, who left Lyon when his contract expired at the end of last season, had been training with Bayern since Sunday. But the club confirmed on Friday that he would not be returning after Upamecano and Kim returned to first-team action following injury and with De Ligt making progress in his recovery.
A Bayern statement read: “The personnel situation in the centre of defence has eased. In light of all aspects, Bayern has now decided not to sign Boateng. At the same time, as a distinguished former player, he has been offered the chance to continue to maintain his fitness at the club. Boateng has presented himself in good physical condition.”
Sporting director Christoph Freund had said Bayern would “first of all” consider the sporting merits of a possible return and referred to the legal case as “a private matter that doesn’t overly concern us”. Manager Thomas Tuchel said Boateng was “innocent until proven guilty” and that Bayern had “the right to make footballing decisions” until his trial resumes.
Will there be another court hearing?
Not necessarily. Boateng could strike a plea bargain for a reduced sentence without a criminal record and come to an understanding with his former girlfriend about financial compensation.
Who made the decision?
Bayern’s (all-male) board of directors decided on Boateng’s return.
Why did they need him?
Bayern only have three senior central defenders on their books after last-minute attempts to bolster their squad this summer failed. Midfielder Leon Goretzka and right-back Noussair Mazraoui had to play as centre-backs in the DFB Pokal (Germany’s equivalent of the FA Cup) against third division Preussen Munster last week, as Kim, De Ligt and Upamecano were all out injured.
What do fans think of this?
There has been plenty of criticism on social media. Club Nr 12, the umbrella organisation of Bayern fan clubs, declined to comment explicitly but told local paper Abendzeitung that “the club should keep in mind its own statutes and fan sentiment at all times”.
(Top photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images)
