Vincent Kompany will receive the Bavarian Minister-President’s Personal Prize on Saturday evening, recognising his public stand against racism and exclusion. The Bayern Munich coach is due to attend the Bavarian Sports Awards in Munich after his side’s Bundesliga trip to FC Augsburg, scheduled for 15:30.
Markus Söder praised the 40-year-old Belgian as an exceptional coach with a clear footballing idea, authority and charisma. Bavaria’s minister-president also described Kompany as “a committed advocate for humanity”, highlighting his insistence that racism has no place in sport or society.
Kompany drew widespread attention in February with an almost 12-minute statement on racism before Bayern’s Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt. He addressed the abuse aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and criticised the response from José Mourinho, then in charge of Benfica.
Söder said Kompany’s appeal for human dignity had reached well beyond football. He also credited the Bayern coach with building a cohesive team from high-level individual players through trust and a clear approach. In Söder’s view, Bayern have moved from the old “FC Hollywood” image to a more settled and successful “FC Feelgood”.
Bavarian Sports Awards
The Bavarian Sports Awards have been presented since 2002 to athletes and initiatives judged to strengthen sport and its social role. Nathaniel Brown will also be honoured this year as Outstanding Young Player. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge received the minister-president’s special prize last year.
