Hamburg - Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has given coach Louis van Gaal his backing "for the next few weeks" and said the management would be working together with the Dutchman to overcome "problems" with the side. Hoeness told Bavarian television Monday evening there had been no internal discussion on a possible dismissal of the coach.
The management had analysed the present state of the team with van Gaal at its weekly board meeting, said Hoeness.
Noting "uncertainty, partly fear on the pitch" and a "lack of self-confidence", Hoeness said the board wanted to work with van Gaal on getting the team back to winning ways.
"We have given him our full support for the next few weeks. We have said that we will calmly attempt to solve these problems together," Hoeness said.
Bayern are only seventh in the Bundesliga and have no longer their fate in their own hands in the Champions League where they meet Maccabi Haifa in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Hoeness, who on Friday succeeds Franz Beckenbauer as club president, also faces a new problem after Italy striker Luca Toni said his relationship with van Gaal "is as good as over."
Toni, who was recently fined for leaving the stadium at half-time after being substituted by van Gaal, told the Italian television station RAI 3: "I have had problems with him for four months. Everything has its limits. Our relationship is as good as over."
Toni was also quoted by Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport as saying he wanted to leave the club.
"I would like to return to Italy to score the goals which will return me to the national team," he said.
Toni, who was injured at the start of the season, has played only four times for Bayern this term and was left out of the squad for Sunday's match at home to Bayer Leverkusen, with the club saying he had a groin strain.
