Kompany leaves hospital after 'meningeal irritation' diagnosis as Danks leads Bayern before Dortmund clash
Vincent Kompany, the Belgian head coach of Bayern Munich, left hospital on Wednesday, five days after falling ill and collapsing during a training session last Friday, news that came as a relief to the club's supporters.
Sporting director Max Eberl said in televised comments that the condition was diagnosed as irritation of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, adding that it can develop into meningitis if left untreated. He said the coach is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances and that his discharge was the best news for everyone. Kompany will continue his recovery at home and needs plenty of rest.
Kompany has now missed two matches in a row, with assistant coach Danks taking charge on both occasions. Bayern won each game by the same 3-1 score, first against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday and then against second-tier Magdeburg in the second round of the German Cup on Wednesday.
The club said Danks will remain interim head coach until further notice, which could include Saturday's eagerly awaited Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund, a game that pits the league leaders against one of their main title rivals. The club has not yet set a date for Kompany's return to the bench.
Al Majlis Analysis: Bayern's open and clear handling of its coach's health deserves attention. The club gave the diagnosis in understandable medical language, said recovery would take place at home and left the return date open, an approach that shuts down speculation at a club under the spotlight every day. On the pitch, two straight wins by the same score show that the system Kompany built keeps working in his absence, a sign of tactical stability. Dortmund, however, will be a different kind of test, because top-of-the-table games demand split-second tactical decisions that rely heavily on the experience of the head coach. Above all, Kompany's health comes before any match.