Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke admits firing Thomas Tuchel in 2017 was a mistake

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·19 November 2025

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke admits firing Thomas Tuchel in 2017 was a mistake

In an interview with Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted the club made a mistake in firing Thomas Tuchel in 2017.

Tuchel won the DFB Pokal with Dortmund in 2017, but following the bombing of the club’s bus before a Champions League game against AS Monaco, his relationship with the club deteriorated quickly, and that summer, he and the club would part ways.

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The current England head coach had a poor relationship with Watzke, mainly due to his decision to go ahead with the Champions League game, which Dortmund lost. There were also disagreements when it came to the club’s transfer activity, such as letting certain players leave the club or the club pursuing players that Tuchel was not fond of.

On their decision to dismiss Tuchel, Watzke said:

“Looking back: I don’t think things would have come to this without the attack. And 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.”

Tuchel’s career post Dortmund:

Since leaving Dortmund, Tuchel has coached PSG, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and now England. At all three club jobs, he has won major honours, leading PSG and Chelsea to the Champions League finals and the latter to an unlikely win, as well as winning the Bundesliga with Bayern.

His task now is to win the World Cup with England and end a 60-year trophy drought for the men’s team.

GGFN | Jack Meenan