“Hopeless populism!” – Agent Jörg Neblung fires back at Hoeneß over criticism

Player agent Jörg Neblung has hit back at criticism from Uli Hoeneß, describing the Bayern chief’s remarks about representatives as “simplistic” and “hopeless populism”.

Uli Hoeneß didn’t mince his words in a recent interview with Bild, stating that Bayern Munich will take a tougher stance on agents following tricky negotiations to extend Dayot Upamecano’s contract.

“We may put a few agents – if they behave unfairly – on a list and tell him that we will no longer sign players they represent,” Hoeneß, a supervisory board member at FC Bayern, said.

Player agent Jörg Neblung, who represents German goalkeepers Stefan Ortega and Marvin Schwäbe among others, has now hit back at the criticism, calling it “simplistic” and “hopeless populism”.

“Bayern always get angry when they don’t get their way,” Neblung told DPA.

“Agents are regularly blamed. In this case, however, Upamecano seemingly gets no criticism at all, even though he ultimately makes the decision. That’s the ridiculous part. We don’t have signing authority.

“It is always the player who decides, and clubs repeatedly try to drive a wedge between the player and the agent.”

According to Neblung, agents play an important role for players because clubs primarily pursue their own agendas.

“There is a market for every player, and that market is shaped by clubs and agents. We show the player what alternatives exist,” he said, arguing that clubs themselves have contributed to the rise of representatives.

“They sign very young players to long-term contracts – often without release clauses or a balanced alignment of interests. If those players don’t perform, they are simply discarded. It’s a game of leverage: sometimes the player has the stronger position, sometimes the club,” Neblung concluded.