Christoph Daum: Reactions to the death of the coaching legend

With Christoph Daum (1953-2024), the world of football has lost one of its most dazzling and controversial personalities. The former coach of various Bundesliga clubs and clubs in other European countries died last Saturday at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer. These are the first reactions to his death.

“He lived football with every fibre of his body”

The current DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (63) commented on the loss of the football legend in an official statement with the following words: “Christoph Daum had a significant impact on German football. He was a pioneer of the modern game and was controversial and passionate about football until the end. I was able to experience this first hand in a personal meeting a few weeks before his death. He lived football with every fiber of his being.”

Uli Hoeneß finds conciliatory words

Daum’s former arch-enemy Uli Hoeneß (72) – who at the time set the ball rolling in the “cocaine affair” of the then Leverkusen coach and designated national coach through an interview – also found moving and conciliatory words: “Christoph Daum never avoided a dispute in his entire life, but we both made our peace a long time ago, and the news of his death also affected me deeply. He fought bravely against his illness and gave courage to many affected people with his open approach to the subject. In the end, he could not win the last battle, but German football will remember him as a person who always gave his all – for his clubs, his teams and far beyond.”

Christoph Daum’s long-time companion Reiner Calmund (75) spoke audibly moved by telephone on Sunday on the “Sport1-Doppelpass” program. There he said: “I am of course deeply sad, although the end was to be expected. Our contact has been very intensive in the last six months. When he turned 70, we all celebrated a little together in Cologne. I was particularly proud that a reconciliation with Christoph and Uli Hoeneß, which I had helped to arrange, was successful.”

Rudi Völler: “Daum was ahead of his time”

DFB sports director Rudi Völler (64), who worked with Daum at Bayer Leverkusen at the time, expressed his sympathy as follows: “Christoph Daum was way ahead of his time in his prime. As a coach and as a person, he often polarized opinions, but his success was always the result of very hard work and extraordinary passion. I learned a lot from him in my early years at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which has always accompanied me in my subsequent tasks. Christoph was able to inspire people, inspire them to a goal, orient them towards it and lead them there.” Like many of Daum’s other former companions, Völler also acknowledged that in his final years he “consciously fought publicly against his serious illness in order to encourage other people.”

Numerous clubs where Christoph Daum worked as a coach during his career also sent statements of concern. First and foremost VfB Stuttgart, whom he made German champions in 1992. Club president Dietmar Allgaier (58) said: “VfB has a lot to thank Christoph Daum for, especially his successful work as a coach, which was crowned with the German championship in 1992. Even after his career, he always remained closely connected to our club. We will always keep an honorable memory of Christoph Daum.”

Former club Fenerbahçe expresses its condolences to Daum’s family

Christoph Daum’s former club Fenerbahçe Istanbul, where he worked between 1994 and 1996, commented on the loss. Alongside a photo showing Daum in the Turkish club’s stadium, it said: “It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the death of our former coach Christoph Daum. We express our condolences to the Daum family, their relatives and our community.”