Fredi Bobic on Niko Kovač: players must “endure pain”

Fredi Bobic, speaking to kicker, backed Niko Kovač’s no-nonsense approach with a blunt line: “Die Spieler müssen Schmerzen aushalten”. Bobic said he shared the pitch with Kovač before both worked together as officials, describing it as a duo that understood each other on and off the field.

The interview also referenced David Abraham and a period where, in Bobic’s account, Abraham reacted aggressively during a match. Bobic ties those moments to the kind of intensity he associates with Kovač and the expectation that players keep going despite pain.