Hasan Salihamidzic expressed his sadness after he was sacked by Bayern Munich just one hour after they clinched the Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day in Germany.
Bayern headed into Saturday's season finale knowing that a win for Borussia Dortmund would be enough to crown their rivals as champions. However, Thomas Tuchel 's side emerged victorious after Dortmund dropped points at home to Mainz, sparking jubilant scenes at Koln, who Bayern beat 2-1.
With the celebrations in full swing, Bayern fans were left shellshocked when an official statement announcing the departure of CEO Oliver Kahn and Salihamidzic (sporting director) arrived shortly after the conclusion of Saturday's match.
The statement, which was released just one hour after Bayern's win, read: "Oliver Kahn is no longer CEO of FC Bayern München AG. The position of sports director Hasan Salihamidzic will also be filled. This was decided by the supervisory board of the German record champions. Jan-Christian Dreesen, 55, will take over from Kahn. The successor to Hasan Salihamidžić is still being decided."
Salihamidzic was in attendance for Saturday's enthralling title triumph and has now broken his silence on the decision to part company with Bayern.
The former sporting director spoke to the media after the match and said: “I am proud of the troops, the boys did an excellent job. Today you have seen the true character of the team. I was actually prepared to congratulate the Dortmunders. I am sorry, but our boys deserve it because they performed so well in the early round of the season… scoring lots of goals and playing good offensive football.”
He then touched on his exit and admitted and expressed his sadness at the manner of his exit. Salihamidzic added: “FC Bayern is above everything. I have had good conversations with Uli Hoeneß and Herbert Hainer. I would like to remain friends with FC Bayern. We had many difficult situations, but also many good ones. Thank you for the last six years.”
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Khan has also spoken out since the news by paying tribute to the Bayern team after their dramatic triumph in Cologne - even though he was "forbidden" from attending match. The former Germany international tweeted: "Unbelievable! A big compliment and congratulations guys! I always told you so! Always give everything to the end and never give up.
"I am incredibly proud of you and this achievement! I would like to celebrate with you, but unfortunately I can't be with you today because I was forbidden.
"I'm looking forward to next season. We will not only be German champions for the 12th time! Let's celebrate!"
The changes made by the Bayern Munich hierarchy come just months after they sacked former head coach Julian Nagelsmann and appointed Tuchel, who had been out of work since leaving Chelsea last year.
