BERLIN (AP) — As a fearsome goalkeeper, Bayern Munich’s Oliver Kahn was known for his fits of rage when things weren’t going well for his team.
“The Titan,” as he’s fondly called on Bayern’s website, won eight Bundesliga titles with the Bavarian powerhouse before finally hanging up his gloves in 2008.
Now Bayern chief executive, Kahn showed Saturday he hasn’t lost any of that passion with his reaction in the stands after Anthony Modeste scored a last-gasp equalizer for Borussia Dortmund to draw 2-2 in the “der Klassiker.”
The late goal cost Bayern the chance to move top of the Bundesliga.
Kahn threw his hands behind his head and roared at the heavens as he sank into his seat, then slammed his hands down on the barrier in front of him, still shouting as he glared down at the players responsible.
Footage of his reaction flooded social media and Kahn showed some humor the next day as he included it in a Tweet since pinned to his profile.
“This result would actually knock you out of you seat… A crazy soccer game with a frustrating end for us. That we conceded the goal at the final whistle is more than annoying,” Kahn wrote.
Kahn also complained that referee Deniz Aytekin had not shown “empathy” toward Kingsley Coman when he sent the Bayern player off for a second yellow card late in the game.
Kahn was referring to Aytekin’s decision to allow the already-booked Jude Bellingham to continue after he unintentionally caught Bayern defender Alphonso Davies in the face with his boot.
“We referees are always expected to show some empathy and a feeling for the situation,” Aytekin said after the game, when he acknowledged: “Perhaps it was a tick too much empathy.”
Aytekin later responded to Kahn’s criticism, pointing out that Coman’s fouls were tactical and intentional, whereas Davies was the victim of an “unfortunate action.”
The draw in Dortmund was the fifth time in nine Bundesliga games that Bayern has dropped points, leaving it four behind surprise leader Union Berlin.
“It’s an amazing season, how we keep denying ourselves of what we deserve,” Kahn told Kicker magazine. “It takes a long time to remember a season where we had so many chances to score and didn’t take them, or, like today, forgot to seal the deal and score the third goal.”
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann is coming under increasing pressure, and wasn’t helped last week when former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge referred to the 35-year-old as “a great coaching talent. But you mustn’t forget that he’s a very young coach who still needs to gain experience.”
Nagelsmann bristled after the game in Dortmund when asked about Rummenigge’s comments.
“Everyone says that, not just Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. In my opinion too many are saying it,” Nagelsmann said. “I am a coaching talent, I’m proud of it. I give my best every day. Others will have to judge the rest.”
Bayern may have to wait for Nagelsmann and Kahn’s moods to improve.
After Wednesday’s visit to Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League, Bayern faces high-flying Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Freiburg is two points above Bayern and unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
