This deal would have caused quite a stir! In the summer of 2009, Oliver Kahn was about to sign with FC Schalke 04 as manager. The former national goalkeeper revealed this on the talk show “Triple”. Sky.
Manager Andreas Müller was fired in the spring, as was coach Fred Rutten – and so the position was vacant. Clemens Tönnies, chairman of the supervisory board of the Royal Blues from 2001 to 2020, then had the brilliant idea.
There were already plenty of reporters lurking at the planned meeting in the Eichenhof in Rheda.
Tönnies looked back: “There was a gate in front of it, a fence around it. We drive in in the morning. But your advisor called and said: ‘I think we can leave that alone.’ I was just trying to get to you, but I couldn’t get through. There were too many reporters there. What had happened? Olli checked into the hotel, put on his running shoes and ran through the city park.”
Kahn negotiated with Tönnies
Kahn then began to laugh in the studio and added: “That was the mistake, I think. But I also wore a hat.”
Sitting on the chair next to Kahn, Tönnies also took it with humor: “They probably recognized you in the indoor bar when you had a drink – water, of course.”
The sought-after ex-keeper, who had only retired as a player a year earlier, revealed another curious anecdote from the day in question. “I was sitting in the hotel and the TV was on. Suddenly it said down there that Oliver Kahn was in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Then I thought, it’s probably not so secret anymore.”
The deal didn’t happen afterwards – despite the great interest of Tönnies, who is now 69 years old.
Kahn went back to FC Bayern
“We are friends and I said we would do something crazy at Schalke. We wanted someone who was an incredible face, a personality who knew football like no other. That was a serious attempt.”
Kahn was about to accept: “It was very serious on both sides. I’ve already given it some serious thought.” But then he decided to decline: “I’ve only been out of the football business for a year and normally it’s not a good idea, no matter how active a player you are, to then go straight into an operational role. At the time I didn’t feel that ready for it.”
By the way, the rejection hasn’t left him completely unmoved to this day. “I always think about this meeting because Schalke is an exciting club.” Tönnies also regrets it: “We made the decision together. I pushed, but understood the arguments. I would have liked to do it. He is a special guy in the football world. Olli is something special.”
Kahn released from FC Bayern
A little later after Kahn’s rejection, Felix Magath signed as coach and sports director. He held the role until 2011. After that, the position was no longer filled as it was.
Instead, Kahn waited many more years before joining the FC Bayern board in 2020. He was then chairman of the club’s board from July 2021 to May 2023 before he was dismissed along with Hasan Salihamidzic.
Also interested in the NFL? NEW: The NFL highlights in the video on SPORT1
Related reading
