Image-Reporter Christian Falk reported in his new book “Bayern Insider” about a WhatsApp group called “Miami Nights”, which is said to have ultimately led to Niko Kovac losing his standing with the players of FC Bayern.
According to Falk, this happened when FCB went on a US tour in the summer of 2018 to prepare for the new season. The last stop on the tour was Miami, where the final friendly against Manchester City took place three days later.
There it was the players’ plan to explore South Beach in the evening. Kovac is said to have noticed this and made a clear announcement to the players at dinner.
“Nobody goes out”, Kovac began his speech: “We have an incredibly important test match in three days. We have to be focused and concentrated. The first Bundesliga game awaits us in six weeks. Celebrations are not part of the preparation.”
This is said to have made some players angry, so that Rafinha, David Alaba and Franck Ribery decided to start a WhatsApp group called “Miami Nights” shortly after dinner. The clear message in the group: meeting point in 15 minutes in the lobby.
FC Bayern: Kovac doesn’t say anything about the party trip
Rafinha is said to have heated the group with the words “Vamooosss! Vamooosss”, James Rodriguez apparently organized several SUVs through contacts that picked up the FCB stars and brought them to a well-known club in the party metropolis. Co-trainer Robert Kovac is said to have seen the players, the last of whom came back to the hotel in the morning hours, before they left.
Accordingly, the players expected consequences from Kovac the next day, but the FCB coach never mentioned the incident. “If a coach makes such a ‘Mr. Hart announcement’, he has to take the consequences. We would have accepted that,” an unknown player is quoted as saying. “By not saying anything, Kovac had lost with us. The result was: The team moved out one more time for a party night in Miami, and so it went on for the next few months. The respect for Kovac was gone from the start . “
In the following season, Kovac won the championship and cup double with Munich after a strong second half, but a poor start to the 2019/20 season cost him his job.
