In 2017, an attack on the team bus shook Borussia Dortmund. In retrospect, boss Hans-Joachim Watzke sees a major impact on the relationship with the then coach Thomas Tuchel.
BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke sees the bomb attack on the Dortmund soccer professionals on April 11, 2017 as one of the main reasons for the separation from the then coach Thomas Tuchel almost two months later. “A lot broke there – in many areas. A lot broke between the coach and me. Otherwise there probably wouldn’t have been a separation in the summer,” said the managing director of the Bundesliga club in a Sky documentary about the attack before the Champions League game against AS Monaco. No one can believe “that such a turning point will not trigger anything,” said Watzke, referring to the turbulence after the crime, which is still unique in German criminal history.
The main point of contention between Tuchel and Watzke in the weeks that followed was the decision to allow the team to play the game just one day after the attack, which attracted attention around the world. Tuchel, who now coaches FC Bayern Munich, had already criticized this immediately after the 3-2 defeat in the first leg of the quarter-finals against Monaco: “We would have liked more time to process it. We didn’t get that time.”
Watzke is still asking for understanding for the difficult decision that the team supported at the time: “At the end of the day there was only one truth for us. Either we play tomorrow night or we withdraw. Politicians also had the expectation that you not bowing to a terrorist attack.”
When the professionals left for the stadium in the team bus, three explosive devices deposited in a hedge were detonated. They had injured BVB professional Marc Bartra and a motorcycle policeman. Days later, a suspect was arrested who had speculated on a falling BVB share price on the stock exchange. He was sentenced on November 27, 2018 to 14 years in prison for 28 counts of attempted murder. The Sky documentary “The Attack – Attack on BVB” can be seen from Monday. (dpa)