Uli Hoeness Talks Tax Evasion, Says He 'Always Ripped Open My Ass' for Bayern

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has expressed regret about committing tax evasion, which led to a prison sentence in 2014, but he believes supporters know he has always given everything for the club.

Hoeness will step down from Bayern on November 15 and has reflected on his time at the club.

He told Bayern's official magazine, 51, (h/t Goal's Stephen Crawford):

"When I look out the window in the morning, I'm happy with my 49 years at Bayern. I have not regretted a single day and I owe everything to this club—not even as an employee but I've always felt like the number one fan. I feel nothing but gratitude.

"I can only smile about [criticism]. I think the fans know that, deep down, I have always ripped open my ass and given everything for them."

Aside from a loan spell at Nurnberg, Hoeness spent his entire senior footballing career at Bayern when he signed for them in 1970.

He scored 108 goals in 329 appearances for the club, winning three Bundesliga titles, three European Cups and the DFB-Pokal.

After injury cut short his career in 1979 when he was just 27, he became the club's general manager and later deputy chairman. He was elected president in 2009. 

He has continued to fight in the Bavarians' corner, even if doing so has required some outlandish statements:

However, football writer Raphael Honigstein believes the 67-year-old's authority has diminished in recent years, as he said on the Euro Leagues podcast:

Hoeness was convicted on seven counts of tax evasion in 2014 and he was imprisoned from June that year until February 2016. He was elected president again that November after running unopposed for the position.

"My biggest mistake was my taxation," he added. "I deeply regret it and criticism of it is highly justified."

Despite his imprisonment, the German retained the support of many of the club's fans. "Some of the letters I got in prison were so touching that I cried like a baby in my cell," he said.

In the years since he was first elected president, the team have won eight Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals and the UEFA Champions League once, having reached three finals.