When people think of youth soccer, “convicted felon” is probably the last thing that crosses their minds. So, we have to wonder what the parents of Bayern Munich’s youth soccer players thought when the club announced today that it has hired Ulrich Hoeness, a man who is still serving a jail sentence, to be a part of its youth program.
Hoeness will be allowed to leave his prison during the day in order to fulfill his duties, but will have to return every night to sleep. Ignoring for the moment how awkward that is going be to explain to the children in his care, you are probably wondering how in the world Bayern Munich chose a convicted felon for a youth work position.
Well, 62-year-old Hoeness and Bayern Munich have quite a bit of a history. Hoeness was a player and general manager for the club. He was actually convicted of tax evasion during his tenure as President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayern Munich. Hoeness even retained that title throughout his trial, and did not lose it until he himself resigned when found guilty.
In one way, it could be argued that Bayern have learned their lesson. His position is, after all, a considerable step down from President and Chairman of the Board. But, really, this is all just another example of the farcical treatment of white-collar crime.
Hoeness was being investigated for tax evasion, and he kept his title as President and Chairman. He was found guilty of withholding almost 30 million Euros from the government, and after half-a-year in prison he is allowed to freely coach children as long as he respects a glorified curfew.
We understand that Hoeness has been given these freedoms as part of German policy, that those freedoms are meant to better facilitate the reintroduction of felons in the the free world. It just seems incredibly irresponsible that he be allowed to work in any way, shape, or form with young people while he is still technically in jail.
No, he is not a pedophile or a murderer, but he is a convicted felon, the ludicrous amount of money that he has made in his life does not change that. He can have his second chance, but his first shot shouldn’t put children in his cross hairs.
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