Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is in a stable condition at hospital after collapsing while watching the German club's reserve team train on Friday.
Kompany had been unwell during the week with reports suggesting he had struggling with a virus and the 40-year-old missed Bayern's pre-match media conference ahead of their Uefa Champions League draw with Arsenal.
Kompany was on the touchline at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday despite the pouring rain as the match ended 2-2, with Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane on target as the German and English champions settled for a point each.
Bayern's next game is away to Freiburg on Sunday which the former Belgium and Manchester City captain will now miss as he undergoes more tests at hospital.
“The good news is he's stable,” said Bayern's director of sport Max Eberl, who had assistant coach Aaron Danks alongside him in Saturday's press conference ahead of the Freiburg match. “I spoke with him last night, with his wife too.
🗣️ 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗘𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 24, 2026
“The good news is he's stable. I spoke with him last night, with his wife too. It wasn't a nice moment for all of us, he collapsed on the pitch yesterday and will spend a few more days in hospital… pic.twitter.com/kbrAC7LhH6
“It wasn't a nice moment for all of us, he collapsed on the pitch yesterday and will spend a few more days in hospital until everything is checked over.
“It shows again how health is the most important thing in life – not football. So, all of us send our best well-wishes. We as FC Bayern stand together. The most important thing is that the cause is established and he gets fit again. He'll only come back when he's fit.
“They’ve been investigating the cause all along. He’d already been having minor problems last week. The doctors are doing nothing but trying to find out what it is.
“The tests have already yielded some results, but further results are needed to determine exactly what it is and how long it will take for him to recover. I’m not a doctor. But we can support him with energy and love.”
Eberl admitted he did not know how long Kompany would be missing for but made clear he get “all the time” he needs. “We’re not going to start setting any time frames,” he said.
“We need to find out what the issue is, and then it’s a question of what the recovery time will be. We're not talking in terms of days, but weeks. We’re all clear on that. And we have such a fantastic coaching staff, led by Vinnie.
“But our success is down to an outstanding team behind the scenes. There’s absolutely no thought of changing anything. All the guys here are outstanding – and so, in the spirit of Vinnie, which everyone carries within them, we can all tackle the coming weeks.”
Everyone at Manchester City is wishing a speedy recovery to our former captain and Club legend, Vincent Kompany.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 23, 2026
Get well soon, Vinny 🩵 https://t.co/RYUP7DjYkj pic.twitter.com/fozzCkHGQl
Erbl also admitted that some of the young players who watched their manager's collapse had been “a bit overwhelmed” by what they witnessed.
“For the U23s, it happened while they were training, so they experienced it first-hand,” he added. “For 17- and 18-year-old boys, that's quite something – many of them haven’t had to deal with anything negative before. Some things just happen. The boys were a bit overwhelmed; that’s only human.
“Everyone looks out for one another; that’s what defines FC Bayern. We’re there for each other and for everyone else who’s affected by this. That’s Bayern Munich – it’s not just empty words, but it’s what truly sets us apart. The fact that we go through this together and are there for one another really strengthens the family, which is the most important thing.”
Bayern are currently top of the Bundesliga on 14 points from six games, albeit only ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. In the Champions League, they are in 14th spot having won one and drawn two so far, leaving them one point outside automatic qualification spots for the knockout stages.
Kopmany took over as manager in 2024 guiding the club to successive Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and two German Super Cups.