Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Reflects on Mistake of Sacking Thomas Tuchel

In an interview with Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke acknowledged that the decision to terminate Thomas Tuchel’s contract in 2017 was a misstep.

Tuchel had led Dortmund to victory in the DFB Pokal that year. However, following the bombing of the club’s bus prior to a Champions League match against AS Monaco, tensions between Tuchel and the club escalated rapidly, culminating in his departure that summer.

The relationship between Tuchel and Watzke soured significantly after Tuchel insisted on proceeding with the Champions League fixture, which Dortmund ended up losing. Additionally, there were disputes regarding transfer strategies, including decisions to allow certain players to leave and the pursuit of players that did not align with Tuchel’s vision.

Reflecting on the decision to dismiss Tuchel, Watzke stated: “Looking back: I don’t think things would have come to this without the attack. In retrospect, I have to say: I probably wouldn’t dismiss Thomas Tuchel today. But back then, we had torn each other apart so much because of this issue that things probably wouldn’t have turned out well on a human level.”

Since his tenure at Dortmund, Tuchel has held managerial positions at PSG, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, where he has achieved significant success. He led both PSG and Chelsea to the Champions League finals, with Chelsea securing a notable victory, alongside winning the Bundesliga with Bayern.

Currently, Tuchel’s objective is to guide the England national team to a World Cup triumph, aiming to end a 60-year trophy drought for the men’s squad.