Joshua Kimmich missed Bayern Munich’s Champions League match against Arsenal on October 21 after a death in his immediate family. Bayern confirmed his absence and asked that his privacy and grief be respected. The club’s request also asked people to refrain from further inquiries and reporting. Those are the facts made public. They are enough to explain why the midfielder was not in the squad, and they set a clear limit on what responsible coverage should try to establish.
Reuters reported that Kimmich missed Bayern’s final training session and would not be included in the squad. Bayern’s match coverage carried the club’s notice. Neither source discloses further personal details. This article follows that boundary: it does not identify the relative, describe the circumstances, or speculate about the family’s wishes beyond the club’s own public request.
That distinction matters in sports reporting because an athlete’s public role does not make every part of a private life public property. A club can confirm a player’s availability when it affects a match, while the reason for an absence remains personal. Here, Bayern gave the information needed to explain Kimmich’s absence and plainly asked for privacy. Readers can understand the team news without being invited to investigate a family loss.
