BVB boss Kovac receives surprise peace offer | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund is on the verge of a surprising reconciliation. Max Kruse invites BVB coach Niko Kovac to a peace talk after years of conflict.

Max Kruse is causing a surprising twist in his years-long dispute with BVB coach Niko Kovac. The former national player, who once described the Croatian as an "absolute character disaster," is now proposing a peace talk.

The tensions between Kruse and Kovac date back to 2022 when the striker only had five Bundesliga appearances under the coach at VfL Wolfsburg before he was no longer considered from September onwards. Kruse criticized at the time that Kovac could not deal with opinionated players. "From day one, I knew it wouldn't work between me and Kovac," the ex-pro explained. During a meeting, Kruse is even said to have dozed off. The 53-year-old also expressed criticism: He missed "the one hundred percent identification and concentration with a focus on VfL".

In recent years, Kruse has not had a good word to say about the Croatian and often expressed criticism in public. Before Kovac's move to BVB, he prophesied: "There will be an end to peace, joy, pancakes. Anyone who wants to put up with this can do so."

Kruse proposes peace summit with BVB coach Kovac

After a 0:2 defeat against Bochum, he even mocked the coach on Instagram singing: "Oh, Niko Kovac. Oh, Niko Kovac. Nonsense."

Now, however, Kruse is surprisingly conciliatory. In his podcast Flatterball, which he runs together with Martin Harnik, he said: "We also have to invite Kovac now. You have to clarify this at some point. I'm up for confrontation." He wants to lead the discussion on a factual level, "where you discuss and maybe don't always agree," and added: "I want to try to understand his view of things." Kruse even planned to ask the BVB coach "why every player is treated the same with him. Every character is different."

Podcast partner Harnik is cautious: "I don't know if it wouldn't be uncomfortable for me if I had to try to mediate and reconcile." Whether Kovac accepts the offer remains to be seen. The BVB coach has recently extended his contract until 2027 and is likely to have other priorities than settling old disputes at the moment.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.