Khaberni - The Spanish newspaper "Sport" revealed that FC Barcelona has allowed the seasoned German defender Jerome Boateng, a former Bayern Munich legend, to use the club's "Joan Gamper" sporting facilities to maintain his fitness.
This permission likely came thanks to the current Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, who previously coached Boateng for two seasons at the Bavarian club.
Boateng is currently without a team since ending his affiliation with the Austrian club LASK last season, but he has not officially announced his retirement.
The newspaper noted that Boateng (36 years old) chose Barcelona's facilities after having to give up an opportunity to train as a technical assistant at Bayern, the club where he spent most of his distinguished career.
Despite his brilliant career, which included 314 matches for the Bavarians and securing 9 German league titles and two UEFA Champions League titles, immense fan pressure forced the club to back down from offering him that opportunity, which the newspaper describes as "an ostracized legend in Munich".
The rejection by the fans goes back to dark chapters in the player's off-field life, notably:
Assault case: In 2018, Boateng faced a complaint from his then-partner Sherin Senler, who accused him of verbal and physical assault.
Although initially sentenced to pay a fine of 1.8 million euros, the verdict was later retried and reduced to a fine of 200,000 euros with a formal warning.
Death case: In February 2021, Polish model Kasia Lenhardt was found dead by suicide, just a week after ending her relationship with Boateng.
Bayern Munich fans had raised sharp banners in "Allianz Arena" that included strong messages such as: "Set limits on violence against women", and "No room for villains in our club, no space for Boateng anymore".
