Champion coach Pablo Laso leaves FC Bayern: Search for suitable successor begins.

Everything was ready, the basketball players of FC Bayern Munich wanted to establish nothing less than a new era. Now, unexpectedly, they find themselves without a coach ahead of the coming season: Pablo Laso, who was supposed to lead the team into this rosy future in the brand new arena in the Olympic Park, has surprisingly asked for the termination of his contract, which was valid until summer 2025. And the Munich team has complied with the 56-year-old Spaniard’s wish. Family reasons were the cause of the early termination of the contract, FC Bayern announced, and last weekend the successful Spanish coach approached the club with his request. “Pablo’s personal decision came as a surprise to us,” said managing director Marko Pesic in a club statement: “We respect him very much as a coach and personality and would like to thank him warmly for his work and great commitment in the past, successful season.”

National coach Gordon Herbert, who became world champion with the Germans, would be free after the Olympic Games

In the year, Laso won the double of cup victory and championship, thereby meeting the requirements for the move to the SAP Garden, which has a capacity of 11,500 spectators. There, the Munich team hopes to follow in the footsteps of the footballers and advance into new spheres: the national team is to be dominated in the long term and to catch up with the European elite internationally. The new coach did not succeed in the latter right away; despite a strong squad, the Munich team missed the playoffs in the highest European league in the Euroleague, finishing 15th and being eliminated after the main round.

Laso moved to Munich a year ago with great expectations, not least because he had won numerous titles with Real Madrid, including six championships. The Madrilenians had triumphed twice in the Euroleague under his direction, so the Spaniard seemed to be exactly the right coach for the ambitions of the up-and-coming Bayern to usher in a new era. However, the coaching position in Munich was also the Spaniard’s first engagement away from home, to which he is now returning. He was introduced there on Friday afternoon as the new coach of the Spanish first division club Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, where he signed a three-year contract – which in turn makes the decision not seem quite so spontaneous. He began his career as a player with the Basques, his wife is from Vitoria-Gasteiz and his family lives there, his future club greeted him with the words: “Welcome home Pablo.”

A coaching position at FC Bayern is not only sought after by footballers

While Laso seems to have come full circle, a new problem has unexpectedly opened up for those in charge at Bayern. The club must quickly find a coach who will not only replace Laso, but also be able to fulfil Bayern’s high ambitions. And as suddenly as the appointment was made, names began to circulate: The most prominent candidate from a German perspective is undoubtedly the world champion coach, Gordon Herbert, who is known to have terminated his contract with the German Basketball Association (DBB) by mutual agreement and wants to work as a club coach again after the Olympic Games. However, this timing is contradicted by a new rule of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), which prohibits the national coach from taking over a club in the Bundesliga three months after ending his employment with the association. In addition, according to SZ information, the 65-year-old has already signed a contract with a Japanese club, although neither would represent an insurmountable obstacle – especially since the three-month work ban does not apply to the Euroleague.

In addition to Herbert, other well-known names are being discussed, and a coaching position at FC Bayern is not only coveted by footballers: Dimitrios Itoudis would be available, the Greek, like Laso, has won the Euroleague twice and is currently without a contract after the premature end of his contract with Fenerbahce Istanbul last December. Vassilis Spanoulis, currently coach of the Greek national team, would also be a good fit for Bayern, who have announced that they will provide information “in due course about further personnel planning”.