Oliver Kahn believed Bayern Munich's hopes of trophy success this season and in the next campaign were under threat with Julian Nagelsmann at the helm.
The tacit admission that the 10-in-a-row Bundesliga champions would surrender their crown if Nagelsmann stayed in charge came in a press conference on Saturday.
Bayern CEO Kahn sacked Nagelsmann and has brought Thomas Tuchel to the club as head coach, with their hopes of a treble remaining alive going into the closing weeks of the season.
The shock departure of Nagelsmann, less than two years after he was acquired at great expense from RB Leipzig, was one the Bayern hierarchy decided was essential.
"The last few days have been hard for us all," Kahn said. "They certainly weren't easy days, and it's safe to assume there was the odd night where I didn't sleep well.
"That's one side of this job that is no longer fun but unfortunately is part of the business. When you let a head coach go, ultimately there's a person behind that decision.
"Nothing big changed, we all see him as an excellent and very good head coach, and on a personal level we understood each other over the course of the last year and three quarters.
"But it's our responsibility and duty to sort out the sporting success of this club, and so we asked ourselves the question of what's the reason behind the big changes in performance.
"So, this isn't a panic decision. It's got nothing to do with panic. We had a close look at everything, and we took the emotions out of the decisions."
Bayern were beaten 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen last Sunday and as a result relinquished top spot in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund are Bayern's next opponents, and incoming boss Tuchel is a former Dortmund coach.
A beaming Tuchel was presented by Bayern on Saturday, having been first contacted on Tuesday.
"We might have taken the decision on Monday, but we took a chance to look at everything," Kahn said. "It's all about finding out where these big swings in performances come from."
Kahn pointed to last season's Champions League exit at the hands of Villarreal and a 5-0 DFB-Pokal loss to Borussia Monchengladbach in October 2021.
"The fact is there were vulnerabilities that were hard to understand that kept raising their head over several games, despite the fact we strengthened the squad before the start of the season and have one of best squads in Europe," Kahn said.
"The continuity in performance of the team never really got better.
"If you look at the start of the second half of the season, we were often not happy with the performances.
"It's the expectation for a club like Bayern that we are a stable ship, so we started with three 1-1 draws in a row – a tough start to the second half of the season – and you see where we are today. Out of 10 Bundesliga games, we have five wins and three draws. That's not where our expectation levels are.
"That's ultimately why we had to make a decision. The expectations are always at their highest here at Bayern.
"We saw and felt our season targets for this season and next season were in danger, and that's why we came to the decision to let Julian Nagelsmann go. It was a well thought through process, certainly not an emotional decision down to one game."
Kahn said he and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic had supported Nagelsmann until reaching this decision.
They took no satisfaction in parting company with the 35-year-old Nagelsmann, who will be eager in his next job to prove Bayern made a rash choice.
"Of course, there are nicer things in life," Kahn said. "It was frustrating and he was trying to understand. We explained it as we have explained it today.
"He took it on board and understood. The bottom line is it really did not go how we expected things to go."
Kahn said his open-door policy to the club's players had provided some insight into the vibe of the squad under Nagelsmann's leadership.
"I let players come into my office, have a coffee and listen in," he said. "I think this is one of the strengths of the club. I think everyone had a very clear picture of how the players were feeling and what kind of situation they found themselves in."
Jarrod Bowen nets late winner as West Ham win Europa Conference League
Jarrod Bowen’s last-minute winner saw West Ham end their 43-year wait for a trophy with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
The Hammers won a first piece of silverware since 1980’s FA Cup, and a first European trophy since 1965, on a historic and emotional night in Prague.
Yes, it may be only Europe’s third-tier competition, the one treated as an unwanted distraction by Tottenham, among others, in its inaugural form last season.
But this is West Ham. The West Ham who routinely see relegation as an occupational hazard. The West Ham who made a song and dance of leaving their old stadium and an almighty hash of moving into the new one. The West Ham who had to go begging to their former manager to save them from the drop, 18 months after they got rid of him when he had done just that.
Just nine weeks ago that same manager watched as the away fans unfurled a ‘Moyes Out’ banner during a scratchy 1-0 win over Fulham, which likely saved his job.
Now David Moyes has written his name in West Ham folklore, joining Ron Greenwood and John Lyall as trophy-winning Hammers managers. A place in next season’s Europa League means the club has qualified for Europe three seasons in a row, for the first time.
And what a way to sign off for Declan Rice, destined to leave this summer but with the legacy of becoming only the third captain, along with Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, to lift silverware in the club’s 128-year history.
The Hammers have given their fans, 5,000 of whom were – officially at least – in attendance and the 20,000-or so who just wanted to be in Prague for their first European final in 47 years, the ride of their lives.
Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi struck by object thrown from West Ham fans
The Europa Conference League final was stopped briefly after West Ham fans threw objects towards Fiorentina’s players.
Plastic pint glasses were hurled from the West Ham end throughout the first half at the Eden Arena in Prague.
Referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande eventually halted play after Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit by another missile as he went to take a corner shortly before half-time.
Biraghi had suffered a cut to the back of his head and required treatment and a bandage.
A message over the PA system urged supporters to stop throwing objects on to the pitch and to respect the players, before play eventually resumed with the score still 0-0.
I am going to Miami – Lionel Messi heading for MLS after Paris St Germain exit
Lionel Messi has announced he is to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
The 35-year-old Argentina forward had been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, to join a league which already features Cristiano Ronaldo and now Karim Benzema.
However, with Messi’s two-year contract at Paris St Germain coming to an end this month, the World Cup winner confirmed in a joint interview with Spanish publications Mundo Deportivo and Sport he was set to head to the United States.
“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” Messi said.
“I still haven’t closed it one hundred per cent. I’m missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path.”
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