Bayern Munich have some welcome news after a worrying week. Head coach Vincent Kompany has been discharged from hospital and is doing well, following the collapse that took him out of the dugout last Friday. For a club in the middle of a title race, the more important point is that he is home and recovering.
What the club has said
Kompany, 40, was taken ill while watching the club's second team train and was rushed to hospital. The BBC reports that the cause has been identified as meningeal irritation, an inflammation of the protective membrane around the brain and spinal cord. Sporting board member Max Eberl told German broadcaster ARD on Wednesday that, given the circumstances, the Belgian is doing well, and called his discharge the biggest and best news for everyone at the club.
Eberl added that Kompany will now rest and take medication. He said he is very confident the coach will be back on the touchline, operating at full strength, very soon. No timeline has been set, though Bayern said on Saturday that his return would be a matter of weeks, not days.
The days before it happened
Kompany had been nursing a virus in the build-up and missed some training sessions. He also missed the pre-match news conference before Bayern's Champions League game against Arsenal, although he was back on the touchline for the match itself. Nothing in the club's account suggests anything other than an illness that took hold quickly and was treated promptly.
Danks in charge, Dortmund next
English assistant coach Aaron Danks has taken over in the meantime. He oversaw a 3-1 win at Freiburg on Sunday, and Eberl spoke before Bayern's German Cup tie against Magdeburg. The team's next big test is a meeting with title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, with Bayern currently leading the Bundesliga.
Kompany was appointed in May 2024, and the football will matter less to him and his family than his recovery this week. Supporters will be glad to see the club talking about when he is coming back rather than whether. Everyone at Bayern appears to agree that there should be no rush.
Club context: Vincent Kompany, 40, has been Bayern Munich head coach since May 2024. Discharged from hospital on Wednesday 28 October 2026 after a collapse on Friday 23 October. Aaron Danks is in interim charge. Bayern lead the Bundesliga and face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
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