Friedhelm Funkel led the 1st FC Köln back to the Bundesliga. The 71-year-old could well imagine another season as a coach of the billy goats.
Friedhelm Funkel’s promotion mission took just 14 days. On May 4th, the 71-year-old took over the 1st FC Köln in his coaching career for the third time. Two game days and two victories later Funkel celebrated his second promotion with the FC – and his seventh overall.
No other coach has increased to the Bundesliga more often in the history of German professional football than Friedhelm Funkel, no coach was older. And yet the native Neuss does not seem to have enough. “The question is not easy to answer,” Funkel began to find an answer to his future. And further: “Everyone knows how I stand for this club.”
The heart of Funkel beats for 1. FC Köln. But also so much to turn another season? Most recently, the trainer at Fortuna Düsseldorf had a whole season on the sidelines in the 2018/19 season. On Sunday (May 18) immediately after the seventh rise of the club’s history of the 1st FC Köln, Funkel at least wanted to leave everything open.
“We have remained so that we sit down after the last matchday and talk about possible constellations. I am open to everything to possibly continue,” said the coach. In the coming days, those responsible at the Geißbockheim would like to sit down and talk about the future of the club on the coaching and the sports manager position, which is also openly.
President Werner Wolf was initially pleased that Funkel brought FC over the finish line on the last two match days. “Obviously he can do it. He has now done that for the seventh time,” said the 68-year-old. “Tomorrow we start thinking what the future can look like.” As in the case of Bundesliga return, FC wants to “make a decision as quickly as possible”, but with “the necessary calm and care”.
After the final whistle, one player clearly spoke out for a whereabouts of Funkel. “What Friedhelm brought in cannot be put into words. It was important for us to have a new impulse again. The calm he exudes is simply insane,” enthused Dominique Heintz. And then appealed: “We would not mind if he stayed for another year.”
And even Torsten Lieberknecht, coach of the 1st FC Kaiserslautern, advised 1. FC Köln on Sunday, to hold on to Funkel: “It is in top shape. He has no gram of fat. He can celebrate like a beast.” So Funkel’s trainer colleague asked: “Occals the box and hold on to it here!”
Luca Waldschmidt: “The Kölsch has never tasted so good and will taste good for a long time. It means a lot to me. That was our absolute goal. Everyone wanted to get up again, we just didn’t want to communicate it that way. In the end, we rightly made it. In the last games, we have concentrated again on our strengths, have a play strength and have a little more freedom.”
Thomas Kessler: “I would like to use the situation to say thank you to Christian Keller, Gerhard Struber and Bernd Eibler. In the last two games we only had to go over the line – even if that was a tough way. But in the past it was also done well in the past, we were not in this position for no reason. What the promotion with me does? would have spent much more time in the Bundesliga. “
Werner Wolf: “A stone from me falls off. We have become two champions today, first in Leverkusen, then here in Müngersdorf. A day cannot be more beautiful. The climb is extremely high. We had to prove good nerves and a good condition. We made the right decision at the right time. The happy thing I went out that it went out of this way.”
Friedhelm Funkel: “I saw the game of the U19 in the hotel today. It was a fantastic performance by Stefan Ruthenbeck’s team. I said to my team: We can make this day unforgettable. It has occurred – it is an unforgettable Sunday for Cologne. The team has called up their potential in the last two games. I only had two games.
Torsten Lieberknecht: “I mourn a bit of the sixth minute when Ragnar had the great chance. Then we never know how such a game is going. As a team, we did not have this level to keep the game open longer. The 1. FC Köln deservedly won. are allowed to do a great day for you. “