Louis van Gaal extends Bayern Munich stay
Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal has extended his stay with the Bundesliga champions after signing a contract extension with the club.
It was revealed on Bayern’s official website on Monday that the 59-year-old has put pen to paper on a one-year extension that will keep him with the German giants until the end of June 2012. His assistant Andries Jonker and the team’s doctor, Hans-Wilhelm
Müller-Wohlfahrt, have also agreed to extensions to their contracts.
The news comes after a poor start to the season, which has seen Bayern lose significant ground in the title race already. They lost 2-1 to league leaders Mainz at home on Saturday and now find themselves 10 points behind the early pace-setters.
But Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that the decision to reward Van Gaal with a new contract after such a defeat was proof that they have confidence that their coach will bring silverware to the Allianz Arena.
Rummenigge told the club’s website that, "I would always prefer to do things you might not expect. After a victory, anyone could renew a contract. Therefore, it is a good sign for the public that, even after the defeat to Mainz, we would like to extend the
coach's stay."
Van Gaal joined Bayern last summer and had a tremendously successful season. He led the club to the Bundesliga title and the German Cup. Bayern were also on the brink of an historic treble, but were pipped to that feat by Italian giants Inter Milan, who
triumphed when the sides met in the UEFA Champions League final.
The Dutchman’s outstanding form during his debut season in Germany continued when his team won the German Super Cup at the start of this campaign, but they have since struggled, winning two league games, drawing two, and losing two.
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