Watzke Confirms Tuchel Was Target After Qatar Failure
Dortmund executive Hans-Joachim Watzke admits he sought to install Thomas Tuchel as Germany head coach after the 2022 World Cup collapse, though internal politics blocked the move.
The floodlights still hummed over the Doha pitch when the silence fell. Germany had just bowed out of the World Cup, a defeat so sharp it cut through the noise of the stadium. In the quiet aftermath, Hans-Joachim Watzke did not sleep. He lay in the dark, the weight of the loss pressing against his chest, and the name Thomas Tuchel rose in his mind like a sudden, cold wind.
Watzke, a long-time figure at Borussia Dortmund, revealed this private calculation in a recent interview. He had already formed the plan: swap out Hansi Flick for the current England manager. The idea was born in the wreckage of the group-stage exit, a desperate bid to find a new direction after the team’s miserable performance on the sand. It was a bold, immediate instinct, fueled by the shock of the result.
Internal Politics Blocked the Change
The ambition hit a wall of institutional inertia. Oliver Bierhoff, the sporting director at the time, stood in the way. Watzke could not force the issue. The hierarchy within the German Football Association remained rigid, and the collective mood favored continuity over revolution. "We'll continue with Hansi Flick," was the prevailing sentiment, a decision that kept Flick in the job until his eventual dismissal in 2023. The power dynamics of the DFB proved stronger than the urgent need for a fresh start.
A Complicated History with Tuchel
The proposal carries an ironic sting for Watzke. His relationship with Tuchel is not without friction. In 2017, the two parted ways at Borussia Dortmund following a sharp disagreement. That split ended Tuchel's tenure at the club. Yet, despite the past rift, Watzke saw in the English coach a viable candidate to rescue Germany’s fortunes. The professional necessity of the moment seemed to outweigh personal history, at least in Watzke’s initial assessment.
The Weight of Decision
Watzke stresses that the final call never rested solely on his shoulders. "It's not my decision who becomes the Germany head coach," he noted, pointing to the shifting landscape of DFB leadership. Now, with Rudi Völler in the director role, the pathways for such appointments have changed. The near-miss with Tuchel remains a footnote in a larger narrative of German football’s turbulent search for identity. The pitch in Qatar was just the stage; the real drama unfolded in the boardrooms, where the future was debated, delayed, and ultimately left unchanged.
