He was THE radiant hero as a Fortuna player: Klaus Allofs (64)!
From 1972 to 1981 he stormed with brother Thomas (62) for his hometown Düsseldorf. Got the cup twice (1979 and 80), made it to the European Cup final in 1979 and narrowly failed to Barcelona.
But is the great Allofs now becoming a tragic figure?
Fortuna’s relegation worries are enormous. Since Allofs returned to his Fortuna in September 2020 and – with fellow board members, coaches and players – declared immediate promotion as a goal, things have not been going smoothly. Fortuna did not rise. Instead of playing along as planned, it is currently against the crash into the third class.
► The former hero failed at Fortuna as early as 1998/99. He was persuaded to start as a coach. Ten game days before the end of the season, he was the last to be fired. Fortuna was relegated from the 2nd division anyway, staying out of the 4th division for ten years.
Allofs laughing: “I could say yes, if they had continued to rely on me back then, it would not have come to that!”
Then he gets serious: “It was clear to everyone when I came in 2020 that they don’t always win. There are a lot of changes to come. One must not forget that the first few months were only Corona – but that should not be an excuse. “
But Allofs also says: “We have made progress on many points. As with the new functional building, where I also have my share. “
The ex-Tojäger explains: “Fortuna is changing, an association between the leagues. I want to contribute and help to this change. But I’m not coming and everything will be better. Getting back to the fleshpots of football is a difficult task. “
Allofs wants to prove something: “The question is: Is sustainable success possible in Düsseldorf? I want to find out that it works! “
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