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FC Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has come out in support of Uli Hoeneß amid the ongoing verbal battle with the German Football Association (DFB) concerning the evaluation of national team coach Julian Nagelsmann’s performance ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

“Uli Hoeneß doesn’t need Andreas Rettig’s permission to express his opinion,” Hainer told Sport Bild. “At the end of the day, we as fans simply want to see the German national team perform well and succeed.”

In recent weeks, Hoeneß has repeatedly voiced his criticism of Nagelsmann, pointing to what he considers over-rotation of players and a lack of clarity regarding player roles. The former Bayern Munich chairman further accused the ex-Bayern coach (2021–2023) of being “too sensitive” and overly self-focused.

“If Germany can still manage to become a cohesive unit despite the coach never naming the same starting eleven twice in a row, then we might stand a chance. Our national coach believes he wins the matches. No, it’s the team that wins the matches,” Hoeneß said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Reinforcing his stance later while speaking to DAZN, Hoeneß added: “Who will be our striker? Who starts in goal? Who are our full-backs? If this continues, we’ll step onto the pitch for the first World Cup match with a lineup that has never played together—and that simply won’t work.”

Andreas Rettig responded sharply, saying, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

At a gathering organised by the supporters’ club ‘Düsseldorfer Jonges,’ DFB’s chief executive Andreas Rettig replied, “I don’t recall anyone from the DFB requesting Mr Hoeneß to issue an interim evaluation of Mr Nagelsmann. Nor can I understand what’s driving him to speak like this now.”

The German football community now eagerly awaits the announcement of Nagelsmann’s final World Cup squad, which is expected to be made public on Thursday at 1 p.m. The team will then face Curaçao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador during the group-stage fixtures.