There is a clash between FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, with whom Hans-Joachim Watzke is still struggling today. Otherwise, the BVB boss has nothing to complain about the arch rival.
- FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are two arch rivals of German football .
- This is due to the success of the currently most successful domestic football clubs.
- On the 120th anniversary of FCB , BVB boss Watzke speaks about the relationship between the West and South clubs.
Dortmund / Munich - On the field they are bitter rivals, apart from them partners. The days of South-West hostility between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are a thing of the past, for a few years now BVB and FCB have been going hand in hand for the benefit of German football. No wonder that Hans-Joachim Watzke wanted to be on the list of FCB well-wishers. The interview with the Borussia boss :
Mr. Watzke, do you remember your first contact with FC Bayern?
Hans-Joachim Watzke: That was in 1966. Back then, Bayern played against Duisburg in the final of the DFB Cup. At that time the club was still called Meidericher SV, at least my aunt lived near Aschaffenburg at that time and got tickets for the final in Frankfurt. So I went to football with her and saw Bayern Munich for the first time, who had only been promoted the year before. The Duisburg took the lead, but after 90 minutes it was 4-2 for Munich thanks to a Brenninger double pack. Since that day I was aware that Bayern are there.
Bayern against Borussia Dortmund: Watzke still struggles with this game today
However, there was never any risk of you waking up in red and white bedding in the morning.
Watzke: Completely excluded. At the time, I was neither a Bayern nor Meiderich fan, but when I was just seven, I just loved being able to attend a cup final. In addition, BVB had won the European Cup Winners' Cup a month earlier. So there was never any danger. Nevertheless, I had Bayern in mind from the start.
So?
Watzke: I am a child of the Bundesliga. Since I started school in 1965, I have followed the Bundesliga and thus the career of FC Bayern. The club has always demanded respect from me, no question. In any case, I was never a hater of Bavaria.
Is there still a Bavaria experience that you would most like to undo?
Watzke: That would of course be the conceivably narrow defeat in the 2013 Champions League final. I still struggle with this 1: 2 in London. Moving into such a final with a club like Borussia Dortmund is not a matter of course. You can see that from the fact that the Bavarians have not made it since then. And if you can do it, then of course you want to win this game under all circumstances. In addition, we lost the thing in the 89th minute. That caused a lot of pain, it's clear.
But you must also have fond memories of Bavaria.
Watzke: The 5-2 in Berlin 2012. That had something.
That is why the relationship between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is so good today
This endgame also coincided with a period when it crackled between the two clubs.
Watzke: That's right, it was critical for two to three years. In the meantime, however, that has subsided again. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and I in particular have created a very good basis together. Because football is becoming increasingly international *, there are also a lot of things in the meantime that we are pulling together for the good of German football. I don't think that Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have ever been on a more stable basis than in the past few months.
How did it come about that both parties moved towards each other?
Watzke: Of course, at that time Bayern tried with all their might to push us back. And wherever planing, chips are known to fall. Over the years, however, I quickly realized that you can rely on Rummenigges word one hundred percent. All of this has contributed to the fact that we have a very relaxed relationship today. Don't get me wrong: we'll always be rivals and argue in sports. As long as the Tandem Watzke-Rummenigge exists, mutual appreciation between the clubs is definitely guaranteed.
How can you imagine the exchange between you and Rummenigge? Do you also pick up the phone and ring the bell on Säbener Straße or is it limited to representative occasions?
Watzke: The contact is regular. We also meet again and again, because there are many topics to be discussed - be it the ECA (European Club Association, d.Red.), The further development in the international area or specific events in German football. Bayern and we are the two most successful clubs in Germany with the greatest appeal for foreign countries, so it is completely normal for people to short-circuit often. And the interests of both clubs are usually identical.
Hans-Joachim Watzke talks about the relationship between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern.
© imago / Thomas Bielefeld
Which personalities were the most formative for FC Bayern in your eyes?
Watzke: First of all, of course, the name Uli Hoeneß should be mentioned here. Anyone who has shaped a club so successfully in 40 years as a manager and president simply stands out (all FCB titles at a glance). The second name is also clear: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. He too has done an excellent job as Chairman of the Board for many years. One shouldn't forget a Franz Beckenbauer here either. He became president in the mid-nineties at a time when Bayern was not doing as well as it is today. Franz gave the club a lot of splendor. With all due respect to today's acting people, one should not forget the tandem Neudecker swan here. Both made sure early on that the European Cup went to Munich three times. You set dramatic course in the seventies, from which today's Bavaria leadership could benefit greatly.
What can BVB learn from FCB?
Watzke: We could sometimes cut a slice of this extreme self-confidence.
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And vice versa?
Watzke: BVB is known for its strong traction, maybe that would be good for other clubs too.
Why is it so difficult for non-Bavarians to like Bavaria?
Watzke: This "Mia san mia" corresponds very much to the Bavarian lifestyle. As a result, other regions are struggling with this plump confidence. However, you also have to acknowledge without envy that this self-assurance also has reasons. In this respect, I can live with it personally, for one or the other it may be a bit too tight.
If you could bring a player from 120 years Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund, who would it be?
Watzke: Definitely Franz Beckenbauer. With Gerd Müller I would also have become weak. Robert Lewandowski was already with us, but a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge at his best times would have looked very good to us. But I would stay with Franz.
And last but not least, your birthday wishes to Bayern - apart from being behind black and yellow for the next 120 years.
Watzke (laughs): You won't be able to avoid that from time to time, but you will usually be able to prevent it. No, I wish Bayern that they continue to be such a big club. That they continue to have people at the top who take the current responsible as a role model and lead the club properly. And that they continue to operate soundly and remain an institution that will continue to have an impact on society in the future. In principle, Bayern Munich as an outsider can only wish that they get the status quo.
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