Five days before the men's final in hockey at the Olympic Games in Munich on September 10, 1972, 17 people die.
After the bloody end to a hostage-taking of Israeli athletes by the Palestinian terror organization "Black September", Germany, the world, the Olympic community is in shock. And ask yourself: is it going on? Can, can it continue now?
It even has to, says IOC President Avery Brundage and announces after a half-day interruption of the competitions: "The games must go on!" Willi Daume, head of the National Olympic Committee, gives reasons: "It has already been murdered so much - we did not want to allow the terrorists to kill the games, too."
A few athletes, including Israeli Walker and Holocaust survivor Shaul Ladany, leave. And only three days after the assassination should decide at 10 o'clock in the morning, who will move into the men's hockey final and there will meet either the hockey major power Pakistan or the other hockey major India: host Germany or arch-rival from the Netherlands.
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Hockey-Eklat 1972: When the Pakistanis went crazy"Of course we discussed whether we should continue to play," says Michael Krause, at that time punishment corner specialist and today lawyer in Dortmund. "It was the right decision to move on, otherwise we would have become blackmailable."
While Krause and colleagues are preparing for the semi-finals, a Dutch official in the German camp announces that they will not compete. Short confusion in the Germans until coach Werner Delmes speaks a word of power: "Boys, they want to fog us." And indeed: contrary to the announcement, the hockey men from the neighboring country punctually on the lawn to kick off.
Never without his noble club
"With a lot of anger in the stomach," Krause recalls, they clearly won the game 3: 0. Also because Germany's top goal scorer Krause got his hands on ritual oiled and polished rifles from Manila kite of a Pakistani industry giant in time: The excitement left the "unbreakable", beloved "Karachi King" in the Olympic village, replacement Wolfgang Strödter had raced back with a minibus and had brought the noble club just before kickoff.
And just that lovingly treated sports equipment secured on September 10, 1972 its place in the history of the Olympics. Because Michael Krause uses it in the 60th minute of the final against Pakistan to use a pushed in by captain Carsten Keller and stopped deadlock by hand stopper Uli Voss penalty corner to 1-0 lead.
Despite the 2-1 success of the Germans in the group stage against Pakistan is only now approaching a real sensation: Since 1928, except India and Pakistan, no other nation has won gold at the Olympics. Both countries have a hockey tradition stretching back millennia, outclassing the British colonial rulers, hockey and cricket are the most popular sports. The neighbors and rivals share the big titles.
If it remains in the final '72 at 1-0, win the Germans, then the hockey world is forever another. The already very intense game gets even rougher. The spoiled Pakistani have the Argentine referee on the Kieker, he has denied them a goal in the first half because of offside, but sent just before the 1: 0 just the German Peter Trump because of complaining from the court.
Once again, Michael Krause gets the club head of his opponent in the soft parts. And reciprocates in the same way. But that's no comparison to what happens after the final whistle when Germany is actually Olympic champion and Pakistan has actually lost.
In flip-flops for the award ceremony
Angry spectators run to the square, press the referees, some tramp tips a coke over the head of René Frank, president of the World Hockey Association. Pakistan's players get completely out, cursing and scolding. "Germany shit!" Roars the reporter of "Radio Pakistan" in German microphone and leaves in the home sustainable the impression that one had been cheated by referees and opponents.
Even with the doping test, the selected player does not want to calm Pakistan and bumps the doctor out of the door, as he dutifully wants to pee while watching. The also present Michael Krause must intervene. Things get even more uncomfortable at the award ceremony held worldwide, when the Pakistani hockey gentlemen present themselves as the worst losers in these games. They stubbornly put the silver medals in their flip-flops or wrap the ribbons around their clubs, demonstratively turn their backs on the German anthem. Krause and his teammates frown for a second and then look forward to their historic triumph, which will cause a small hockey boom in their homeland.
The otherwise quite scandalous hockey world has a real scandal. Even worse, it comes after the award ceremony, as the scorer is surrounded: "Krause, we kill you!" Threaten him fanatical Pakistani fans. "I took that very seriously at the time," says Michael Krause, who had previously been a regular guest in Pakistan with the national team, most recently just a few months before the start of the Olympics. "From then on, I stayed at Pakistan Travel as a precaution at home." Until 1994, when the newly elected Federal President Roman Herzog began his first foreign trip in office and wished to travel to Pakistan Michael Krause, now President of the German Hockey Federation.
Huge pressure to succeed
Today Krause is still honorary president there, looking forward to the first game of the Germans at the 2018 World Cup: Right in the preliminary round they met Pakistan - and won 1-0. Meanwhile, the opponent is no longer the absolute international top and is only 13th of the world rankings, Germany ranks in sixth place, just behind India.
It was different 46 years ago and Pakistan's favorite. Michael Krause was reconciled early on, when he realized the enormous pressure the players were there: "In the years after the endgame I learned that the Pakistanis had been promised homes and pensions for life for victory."
Soon after the final drama, Pakistans government apologized officially to the Germans, the oil spilling radio reporter was fired. Pakistani envoy Sahur Hassan also brought along a gift for his forgiveness visit to a Frankfurt mosque: a silver trophy worth 60,000 marks, which is still handed over to the German Hockey Master today.
The World Hockey Association was less conciliatory and missed in a quick process the responsible players and officials lock for life. But in 1973 they were lifted again, not least because the German representatives had campaigned for it ("One must be able to forgive, too"). And because it became clear to hockey superiors that "you can not just block a squatting experience of this magnitude." Especially if she produces so damn good bats.