Bayern Munich fans have called on the club to retain Thomas Tuchel as head coach for next season, saying other candidates “don’t hold a candle” to the 50-year-old.
A petition on change.org entitled “We want Juppel (Tuchel) and not (Ralf) Rangnick!” has nearly 10,000 signatures and was launched on Tuesday.
Austrian head coach Rangnick confirmed earlier this week that he was in talks with Bayern to replace Tuchel. Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was previously the favorite to take over before announcing last month that he would stay with his current club next season. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann turned down the opportunity to return to Bayern and opted to continue with the national team last week.
Bayern announced that Tuchel would leave the club at the end of the season in February, following “a constructive discussion between CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and (Tuchel)”.
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“Despite the negative media coverage surrounding him and the injury-plagued Munich team personnel situation, the Champions League winner led his team to the Champions League semi-finals,” can – we read in the petition.
“With all due respect to candidates like (Aston Villa coach Unai) Emery or Rangnick, these coaches cannot stand up to ‘Juppel’ (Tuchel).
“Considering that the ‘Dahoam Final’ (Champions League final at the Allianz Arena) will take place next season, Bayern Munich should actually be happy to have such an exceptional Champions League coach as TT (Tuchel ).”
Tuchel had signed a deal until the summer of 2025, when he replaced Nagelsmann as Bayern head coach in March 2023. Bayern then won the Bundesliga on the final day of last season when Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 against Mainz to allow the Munich team to take a leap forward. them.
This season, Bayern are second domestically behind Alonso’s Leverkusen and are 14 points behind the champions with four matches remaining. They remain in the Champions League after beating Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final and will face Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Tuchel’s previous head coaching positions include Mainz, Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
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(Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)