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Uli Hoeness: From young visionary to old-school patriarch

  • November 15, 2019

He first joined Bayern Munich at the tender age of 18. He won his first Bundesliga title and European Championships just two years later. At the age of 22 he won the World Cup. A fair-haired boy with the golden touch back then — now he’s very much a self-made man.

Hoeness is a media darling who is beloved by the fans — and also has a happy family life. His rise was as fast as he was, he once ran the 100 meters in 11 seconds flat. Even the knee injury that would force an end to his playing career did nothing to slow him down. Hoeness made the best of a bad situation, taking over as general manager of what was then a financially-precarious Bayern Munich. He was always looking to the future.

It was after he turned his hand to management that both his career and the club really took flight. Not even a 1982 plane crash, of which he was the sole survivor, could slow him down. In fact, it seemed to push him to greater heights as he set about making Bayern Munich

DW’s Tobias Oelmaier

one of the most successful and richest clubs on the planet.

While a certain Donald Trump may live by the maxim “America first,” Hoeness’ slogan, until this Friday at least, could best be described as “Bayern first.” He’s always swatted aside anyone who dared to voice a word of criticism of his beloved Bayern – or threatened to compete with them on the pitch. He has done so through words, actions, and money.

When a competitor got close to posing a threat, he simply bought their best player out from under their noses. If a journalist dared to ask tough questions, he would lash out verbally, trying to intimidate them. This, Hoeness did to shield his team from criticism and distract media from the real story during times of crisis. The aim was always clear: to make the club bigger and more successful. The end justified many means.

Hoeness polarized opinion, both then and now. His success made him the object both of envy and hate. But after meeting him personally, most of his competitors have been full of praise for Uli Hoeness the manager. They will tell you that as a businessman he was always more than fair — with more than a bit of gratitude.

This is because without him, the Bundesliga wouldn’t be what it is now, in terms of television deals, newly constructed stadiums, marketing and sponsorship. As a commercial manager, Hoeness regularly broke new ground and always thought big. Both his vision and decisions were usually on the mark. Later, after he became president, he remained the strongman at Bayern Munich, which by then had become an international brand.

Jail term

Then came the little matter of that tax offence. It came to light at the beginning of 2013 that Hoeness had evaded a double-digit million sum after a series of foolhardy financial transactions, for which he was eventually convicted and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He served just half of his sentence, before being granted parole for the rest. While he admitted his mistake, he didn’t really appear to have been reformed. It seemed as if Hoeness had become out of touch in recent years. The success, the fame and fortune; all this apparently robbed himself of the power of self-criticism — and possibly the ability to take it from others. 

“It’s not over yet,” Hoeness exclaimed in his speech resigning as Bayern president at the club’s AGM in May 2014. Overwhelmed by the applause of the Bayern members before he left to serve his prison sentence, Hoeness planned to return to his club as soon as possible. And in fact it took just nine months for the inmate to return to his post, elected president again by 98.5 percent of Bayern members. The fans stuck with him, the symbol of their club’s ascent.

It turns out that this was the second major mistake (after the tax offense) in the life of Uli Hoeness. By the time he returned, the chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, had become accustomed to making the decisions, and there was little left of the former harmony between the two bosses.

The process of renewal at the club ground to a halt. Bayern failed to seize upon the momentum created by the treble in 2013, even if they did continue to dominate the Bundesliga. At the same time, the club stopped bringing through promising youngsters from its academy. Personnel decisions haven’t gone so well either.  The celebrated yet controversial coach Pep Guardiola was succeeded by the hapless Carlo Ancelotti, before Hoeness’ aging personal friend, Jupp Heynckes, came to the rescue. Then Niko Kovac came along, lasting just over a season.

As for Hasan Salihamidzic, his skills as sporting director are difficult to assess. The only real evidence we have to go on after his two years in the job are his occasional empty public statements.

Embarassing actions

Instead, in recent years, it was always Hoeness in the spotlight, usually for all the wrong reasons. 

First he hammered the media for daring to criticize the club’s leadership, then, in an embarrassing performance at a press conference, he on the one hand demanded that reporters respect the human rights of others — only to trample all over them a few sentences later. He cursed at a club member who dared publicly criticized him. Later he threatened the national team with a boycott by Bayern players because in his eyes, Joachim Löw hadn’t given Manuel Neuer the public support he deserved. It was enough to make even the most fervent of Bayern fans blush.

For all he has done for Bayern Munich and German football, times have simply changed – and Hoeness failed to move with them. He still claims never to have gone on the Internet or written an email. The visionary of old has stuck with old ways, evolving into an old-school patriarch. Uli Hoeness would have done better to have stepped away from the limelight right after his prison spell, but his ego wouldn’t let him. After all, how many people do you know who manage to choose the right moment to step down?

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Calling it quits

    A relationship that began in 1970 when Bayern Munich signed an 18-year-old from TSG Ulm 1846 has come to an end, with Uli Hoeness announcing that he will not run for another term as club president. He shaped one of the most successful eras in German football history. Former Adidas boss Herbert Hainer, who already holds a position with the German champions, is his replacement.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Goal scorer

    Long before current events, Hoeness the player was a forward who was part of the Bayern team that won both the Bundesliga and the European Cup three times. Playing for West Germany, he won both the EuropeanChampionship and the World Cup. For a few years, Hoeness and Gerd Müller formed one of Europe’s most potent strike forces. However, his playing career was cut short by a knee injury.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    The youngest manager

    After an unsuccessful attempt to come back from the injury while on loan to Nuremberg, Hoeness hung up his boots and became the Bundesliga’s youngest general manager at the tender age of 27 on May 1, 1979. Here he is pictured with then-Bayern President Willi Hoffmann (left) on this third day on the job – when he got his first victory as manager with Bayern winning 3-1 in Darmstadt.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    A nose for business

    Even before Hoeness became manager, he negotiated a deal with truck maker Magirus-Deutz as Bayern’s jersey sponsor. The funds allowed Bayern to bring West Germany star Paul Breitner back to Munich from Braunschweig in 1978. Here, Breitner is seen holding up the trophy after Bayern won the 1981 Bundesliga title. The two but have recently fallen out over Breitner’s criticism of Bayern’s management.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    A stroke of luck

    On February 17, 1982, Uli Hoeness was the sole survivor of the crash of a private jet, while he was on his way to a West German national team friendly. The three other people on board the plane died. Hoeness, who was asleep on the back seat of the plane when it crashed, remembers nothing about it.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Sausage producer

    Hoeness, the son of a master butcher, started up the HoWe sausage-making company in Nuremberg in 1985, which now supplies major businesses such as Aldi and McDonalds. HoWe, which is where Hoeness made a lot of his money, has been taken over by his son Florian.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    From manager to president

    After 30 years as general manager, on November 27, 2009, Uli Hoeness moved up in the Bayern Munich hierarchy, winning election at the club’s annual general meeting as its new president. More success would soon follow, with Bayern doing the double that same season and later, beginning in 2012-13, going on a run of six-straight Bundesliga titles.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Personal feud

    Hoeness has had his share of personal animosity. A feud with former Cologne and Bayer Leverkusen coach Christoph Daum began when both appeared on a sports talk show. It reached its climax with the cocaine scandal surrounding Daum, who looked set to become Germany coach in 2000. Daum never took up the post after a test on his hair turned up positive for cocaine.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Big winner

    Uli Hoeness won his share of silverware as a player, but has won almost countless titles as an executive. In 2013, Bayern Munich won the treble; the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, and the Champions League. “An unbelieveable year,” said the top club executive, who was still a free man, despite the fact that a warrant for his arrest on tax-evasion charges had already been issued.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Fall from grace

    March 13, 2014: Hoeness was convicted of evading €28.5 million ($32 million) in taxes and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail. Hoeness began serving his sentence on June 2, 2014, making the fall from grace of a German soccer legend complete.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    President again

    A day after his conviction, Uli Hoeness resigned as Bayern president, however he would return to the post two and a half years later, winning election at the club’s annual general meeting on November 25, 2016. He was the only candidate after current President Karl Hopfner, who had stood in for him during his time in prison, agreed earlier in the year not to run for re-election.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    A helping hand

    Hoeness has always there with a helping hand for a friend in need. Clubs like St. Pauli and even rivals Borussia Dortmund have been known to profit from his generosity. He has also reached out to help former teammates like Gerd Müller, who struggled with alcohol, or players Sebastian Deisler who suffered from burnout and Dietmar Hamman, who was stricken with both alcohol and gambling addictions.

  • Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness: A reign ends

    Family man

    For the most part, Uli Hoeness keeps his private life to himself. He has been married to his wife Susanne for more than 40 years and his two children, Sabine and Florian are grown up. Hoeness enjoys a quiet life at home, and there have been no known scandals involving his family.

    Author: Chuck Penfold


Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/uli-hoeness-from-young-visionary-to-old-school-patriarch/a-51215403?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom

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