Long-time Bundesliga coach Christoph Daum once had heated verbal duels with FC Bayern executives. He was considered an intimate enemy of Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß. The dispute later escalated with the “coke affair”. Now, shortly before his 70th birthday, Daum is talking about this intense time and his attacks.
There was a time when Bayern weren’t already declared champions before the season. Accordingly, things went back and forth between representatives of the record champions and the competition at the time. Always there: Christoph Daum. Sometimes as coach of 1. FC Köln, VfB Stuttgart and later Bayer Leverkusen.
A few days before his 70th birthday (on Tuesday), the former coach remembers the wild times.
Daum just didn’t want to “sign off” on anything
“FC Bayern was already the industry leader back then and I was told that I would commit verbal suicide if I attacked the club. But I never wanted to nod in awe and surrender, as I feel the clubs do today,” he said Interview with “WAZ”. “I have always stood up for my club, for my region. The fact that FC Bayern wanted to determine which attacks were below the belt back then was a gift.”
But he regrets one attack – the one against former Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. He “went too far”. “Today I see that as a big mistake, for which I have often apologized,” said Daum. The remaining attacks? He doesn’t regret it, but stands by it. “Although I also fell on my face with it. This taught me how to deal with setbacks. And it’s not like I didn’t back up the verbal attacks with sporting achievements.”
That was his biggest sporting mistake
His dispute with Uli Hoeneß ended in 2000 with the coke affair. Daum was convicted of cocaine use and was not allowed to take up his designated position as national coach. A bitter setback for his career.
“I celebrated so many successes for my own ego that I look back on my career so far with gratitude,” said Daum, looking back on this time. “Of course it would have been a huge honor for me to be the national coach of my home country. I would have liked to give something back to German football. I wanted to create something.”
He describes Celtic’s rejected offer in 2015 as the biggest sporting mistake. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that Celtic is one of the biggest clubs in the world.”