Latest news with #HansJoachimWatzke
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bayer Leverkusen's Fernando Carro fires back at Hans-Joachim Watzke: 'I want an exciting Bundesliga. I'm happy when more clubs make life difficult for Bayern'
Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has fired back at Hans-Joachim Watzke, following quotes he made about Florian Wirtz. Last month, the Dortmund CEO said: 'It's a real shame, especially for the DFL, that a player like Florian Wirtz is leaving the Bundesliga. I wouldn't have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern. That would have been better for the Bundesliga. It doesn't really matter for the national team. He'll play at the highest level in Liverpool, too. He could have worked better with Musiala in Munich, but two such good footballers can find each other anyway.' During the Wirtz transfer saga, Leverkusen were adamant that they would not sell to Bayern Munich, following Wirtz's completed move to Liverpool. Carro was asked if he was happy that the 22-year-old moved to the Premier League: 'Honestly, yes. I have a different opinion than Hans-Joachim Watzke. I don't understand how he, as the boss of Borussia Dortmund, could have been happy if Wirtz had gone to Munich. That would have made Bayern even stronger. I want an exciting Bundesliga. I'm happy when more clubs – besides us – make life difficult for Bayern, because I believe that benefits the Bundesliga.' As some people may not like Carro for his personality or the way he works, it is refreshing to see someone who is ready and willing to stand up to Bayern and not roll over at the first time of asking, like Dortmund. It can be argued that this type of mentality that Watzke showed in his original comment has been one of the reasons that have held die Schwarzgelben back from winning the Bundesliga in the past 13 years. This is also becoming an increasingly common occurrence in the Bundesliga, as Stuttgart is a prime example, continuing to be firm in their pursuit of the Bundesliga champions' interest in striker Nick Woltemade. GGFN | Jack Meenan
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bayer Leverkusen's Fernando Carro fires back at Hans-Joachim Watzke: 'I want an exciting Bundesliga. I'm happy when more clubs make life difficult for Bayern'
Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has fired back at Hans-Joachim Watzke, following quotes he made about Florian Wirtz. Last month, the Dortmund CEO said: 'It's a real shame, especially for the DFL, that a player like Florian Wirtz is leaving the Bundesliga. I wouldn't have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern. That would have been better for the Bundesliga. It doesn't really matter for the national team. He'll play at the highest level in Liverpool, too. He could have worked better with Musiala in Munich, but two such good footballers can find each other anyway.' During the Wirtz transfer saga, Leverkusen were adamant that they would not sell to Bayern Munich, following Wirtz's completed move to Liverpool. Carro was asked if he was happy that the 22-year-old moved to the Premier League: 'Honestly, yes. I have a different opinion than Hans-Joachim Watzke. I don't understand how he, as the boss of Borussia Dortmund, could have been happy if Wirtz had gone to Munich. That would have made Bayern even stronger. I want an exciting Bundesliga. I'm happy when more clubs – besides us – make life difficult for Bayern, because I believe that benefits the Bundesliga.' As some people may not like Carro for his personality or the way he works, it is refreshing to see someone who is ready and willing to stand up to Bayern and not roll over at the first time of asking, like Dortmund. It can be argued that this type of mentality that Watzke showed in his original comment has been one of the reasons that have held die Schwarzgelben back from winning the Bundesliga in the past 13 years. This is also becoming an increasingly common occurrence in the Bundesliga, as Stuttgart is a prime example, continuing to be firm in their pursuit of the Bundesliga champions' interest in striker Nick Woltemade. GGFN | Jack Meenan
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Borussia Dortmund chief Watzke cleared over private plane use
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens celebrates his side's first goal of the game during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund at Borussia-Park stadium. Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed speculation that he met with Bayern Munich board member for sports Max Eberl over a potential sale of Dortmund forward Jamie Gittens to the Bundesliga champions. Federico Gambarini/dpa Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, who is bidding to become president, has been cleared of misconduct after being accused of billing private flights to the club. The Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper said on Tuesday that the anonymous allegations from 2023 had been investigated but that no further steps would be taken. Advertisement The newspaper quoted Dortmund as saying: "All three review bodies – the compliance officer, the main committee of the advisory board, and the audit committee of the supervisory board – unanimously determined after thorough examination of the matter that Mr Watzke acted fully in accordance with internal guidelines." Watzke, who is in the midst of a presidential election campaign as he looks to step away from the day-to-day running of the club, said: "It is good that both committees unanimously deemed the anonymous allegations to be unfounded. For me, the matter is now closed. "However, I find it disappointing that internal details from Borussia Dortmund's confidential committees have been leaked to the public despite comprehensive confidentiality obligations for all involved. Such behaviour destroys trust in internal discussions, which should be conducted robustly on the issues without fear of being used to damage the reputation of individuals." It had long been expected that current Dortmund president Reinhold Lunow would step aside and allow Watzke, 66, to run unopposed. However, Lunow announced his intention to run again this November and the pair are reportedly at loggerheads.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Bellingham v Bellingham: the art of the deal, even if big date must wait
Jobe Bellingham was furious when he found out that the early yellow card he had been shown for a tackle on Nelson Deossa against Monterrey meant missing the next game of the Club World Cup and he was still furious the following day. The news hit hard when he heard it at half-time heading down the tunnel, and the hurt wasn't going away in a hurry. This was not just the next game, it was the game: Borussia Dortmund versus Real Madrid, the Bellingham brothers on the same pitch for the first time, and the match so special Dortmund used it to convince him to move to Germany in the first place. That and a disguise. On the morning after Sunderland won the Championship playoff final against Sheffield United at Wembley, Dortmund's chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, had pulled on a hat and shades and sneaked into the team's London hotel. Dortmund had watched the scores come in from Wembley, concerned that defeat would mean Bellingham would be in no mood to talk to anyone, and now Watzke slipped past the fans, most of whom had celebrated much more than they had slept, and through the lobby. 'We talked about the right path for him,' Watzke later said. Dortmund left more optimistic than they had come, but the transfer deal was not done. Both Milan clubs were interested; Real Sociedad too. And although Germany was seen as the ideal place for the 19-year-old, Eintracht Frankfurt and Leipzig were talking to him too. Dortmund arrived in London fearing that they would miss out, that the final destination was likely to be Leipzig, while Bellingham still had a meeting with Frankfurt, before heading off on holiday with his brother. Everyone at Dortmund had known Jobe since he was little, and the family knew the club, the relationship perfect, but that was no guarantee. It might have been the opposite. Dortmund's scouting department were convinced about the younger Bellingham, but more cautious than they had been with his older brother Jude, precisely because of Jude. They were keen to avoid falling into the trap of allowing their judgment to be conditioned by the player they had sold on to Real Madrid, determined to to be absolutely certain that this was purely about him, a player they see ending up among the very best in the Bundesliga. Jobe too had been unsure: reluctant to follow his brother, resisting at first. The sporting director, Lars Ricken, asked Watzke to speak to him personally, and he flew out — first to the north east, then London — the day after the playoff final. 'I told him that you have to take the right path for yourself, regardless of who has gone down it before,' Watzke said. Don't resist the best option just because it has been trodden before. 'There is a reason he wears Jobe on his shirt,' Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director, told Süddeutsche Zeitung. 'Jobe is Jobe. That reflects his personality, that he wants to follow his own path. Everyone at Dortmund has worked on this signing and we're very happy that it has ended well.' Jude did play a part, though. Dortmund, where he would have Champions League football every season, was the best place to be for the brothers to end up playing for England together, Jobe was told. And if that wasn't imminent, this was: the Club World Cup quarter-final was lined up to be Real Madrid versus Dortmund, a date in the diary circled and shared. Maybe not the trump card but genuinely a selling point, presented to Bellingham as another reason to come. They had talked about it a lot, of course, a moment becoming increasingly real. Madrid's base is at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach; Dortmund are in the Four Seasons, Fort Lauderdale. The Bellingham brothers are just 36 miles apart and have seen each other. The family have been in Florida too. They have never played each other, never played together either. Now, with Juventus beaten and Dortmund kicking off against Monterrey that same evening, 2-0 up early, they would; a special moment, the game of their lives. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion And then it happened. Bellingham's sliding tackle on the right wing earned him a suspension, although he didn't know yet. At the Club World Cup, cards aren't wiped at the end of the group phase. Once he was aware, thoughts inevitably went back to his first yellow, against Ulsan HD, which only made it worse: that one wasn't even a foul. The Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy hadn't been aware either. When asked about the suspension after the game, he started talking about how he hoped he would be the best player on the pitch against Madrid and then there was a pause as someone said something, a laugh, and he said: 'oh … It's a little bit of a pity for him but I hope he will have another chance.' A little? 'I think we all saw that he was very disappointed,' Dortmund's manager, Niko Kovac, said. 'At half-time, I think he didn't exactly know that the second yellow card is a suspension. He was a little bit surprised. OK, he's young. His brother is also young, so I'm convinced they'll face each other. Maybe next season in the Champions League, and then the future. The future is theirs. The Club World Cup would have been nice, but now it wasn't to be.'
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dortmund's Kehl: Gittens transfer to Chelsea not finalised
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens celebrates his side's first goal of the game during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund at Borussia-Park stadium. Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed speculation that he met with Bayern Munich board member for sports Max Eberl over a potential sale of Dortmund forward Jamie Gittens to the Bundesliga champions. Federico Gambarini/dpa The transfer of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea is not quite done yet, with Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl saying on Sunday that final details still need to be settled. Both teams are at the Club World Cup in the United States, and Gittens had his Chelsea medical on Saturday. Advertisement The final details likely refer to the volume of the transfer which is said to in the region of €65 million ($76 million). Even if the transfer is completed over the next days, Gittens won't be able to play for Chelsea in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, and possibly beyond, because he was registered and played for Dortmund. Kehl was speaking at an open Dortmund training session in Florida, where he also said that Chelsea loanee Carney Chukwuemeka will stay with them as long as they are in the tournament. Chukwuemeka's loan from England's Chelsea since January originally ends on Monday. Dortmund play their last 16 match against Mexico's Monterrey on Tuesday, and Kehl said the clubs have agreed that he can remain with the Dortmund team.
