It’s the first anniversary of Franz Beckenbauer’s death. Exclusively at t-online, Matthias Sammer explains why he believes Germany has failed in dealing with the Kaiser.
Exactly a year ago, on January 7th, Franz Beckenbauer died at the age of 78. After the death of his friend and role model, Matthias Sammer found ruthlessly open and at the same time harsh words.
“I find it unworthy and I am somewhat ashamed of what we, this entire country and our media, have done to him,” he said and accused: “Germany has failed him.” (You can read the full interview here.) These are sentences that still resonate a year later. How does he feel about it today? On the occasion of the first anniversary of Beckenbauer’s death, Sammer once again took the time to speak exclusively to t-online about it – and reiterated his allegations.
Matthias Sammer (57) is known as a former professional, trainer and official in Germany. As a player, he became European champion with the German national team in 1996. A year later he won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund. From 2006 to 2012 he worked for the DFB, then from 2012 to 2016 as sports director for FC Bayern. He is currently a consultant for Borussia Dortmund and also regularly works as a TV expert on Amazon Prime.
t-online: Mr. Sammer, immediately after Franz Beckenbauer’s death, you were very clear in the t-online interview and sharply criticized the way he was treated. A lot has happened in the past twelve months, and Beckenbauer received many posthumous honors and recognitions. Is this at least a little compensation?
Matthias Sammer: Looking back, a lot of positive things have happened to him now – and rightly so. FC Bayern helped give him what he deserved. The DFB and DFL have also thought about how to honor such a personality. But I still have to say one thing.
Franz is missing. First and foremost, his family, but also all of us with his entire way. I view the recognition that he has now received as positive. Unfortunately, she comes a little too late.
- The light figure went out in the shadow: Beckenbauer lived in hiding until his death
So you still maintain that you are ashamed of what Germany did to Franz Beckenbauer?
Definitely. As a person, Franz was an absolute role model for all of us and also for me personally. With his appearance, his naturalness, his sovereignty, his clarity. He never focused on himself, but always wanted to achieve the best. He achieved this at club level as a player and won the national champions’ cup three times in a row with Bayern. He was European champion with the national team in 1972 and world champion both as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. He brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany and made it an unforgettable experience for all of us. This combination of professional and human quality always impressed me with him.
I tell my children about him today. When we talk about role models, I tell them that Franz Beckenbauer didn’t differentiate between who was in which position. He always placed people at the center and treated everyone equally.
Can you give an example?
When I worked with him as a television expert, the way he appeared to people was simply fantastic. He greeted everyone with a handshake and was always friendly and nice. I was very impressed by the dignity with which he treated everyone. And it still is. That’s why I can’t make up for what we did to him.
What do you mean by that exactly?
What happened to Franz, the deficits of that time, of society, both in terms of politics and sport – Germany failed him.
Are you referring to the corruption allegations in connection with the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany and the handling of it?
He only wanted the best in everything he did. In football you always have to assert yourself – as a player, coach and also if you have to bring a big tournament to Germany. He had to deal with situations for which he was not responsible. One might consider it a certain kind of “corruption” if you need people’s votes to win a tournament in such a system. I don’t even want to judge that. Nothing that might have been necessary for this has been proven.