Borussia Dortmund chief regrets sacking Thomas Tuchel

Hans-Joachim Watzke has looked back on the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel as Borussia Dortmund coach.

Just days after winning the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Thomas Tuchel was dismissed as the club’s head coach.

The bomb attack on Dortmund’s team bus before their Champions League match against AS Monaco in April that year played a major role in Tuchel’s sacking, as the decision to have the team play the rescheduled match just one day later became a key point of conflict between him and BVB chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Watzke admitted that letting Tuchel go was a mistake.

“Looking back, I don’t think it would have come to this without the attack. And in hindsight, I have to say: today, I probably wouldn’t sack Thomas Tuchel. But at the time, because of this situation, we had torn ourselves apart to such an extent that, on a human level, it probably wouldn’t have worked out anymore,” Watzke said.

“I don’t want to go into the details for the 100th time. What is important to me is that what was reported publicly did not reflect our internal discussions. Every player was absolutely free to not play the next day without any consequences. We met directly after the season to talk and clarify how things would continue. But honestly, no one tried to find common ground. There was no real dialogue. After 20 minutes, it was clear: it could not continue.”

The 66-year-old went on to reveal that the two have since reconciled:

“Today, I get along well with Thomas again. We’ve talked it through. And I have to say: he is an outstanding coach.”