27/12/2001 (www.fcbayern.de)
Exclusive Interview with Franz Beckenbauer
'It's been a superb year'
As 2001 draws to a close, Franz Beckenbauer has been looking back on the most successful 12 months, in both sporting and in financial terms, in Bayern's 101-year history. "It's been a superb year," the club's President told the Munich tabloid tz and fcb.de in a joint interview.
The "Kaiser" said he was not particularly distressed at Bayern's recent dismal run in the Bundesliga. "I'm not really disappointed, we had to expect a drop-off in performance. Following our extraordinary success last season, I'd expected us to go under a lot earlier," he commented.
But despite the club lying only 5th in the table, Beckenbauer has not given up hope of the Bundesliga title. "But we have to play perfectly until the end of the season, we cannot afford any more mistakes if we want to mix it at the top," declared the man who as a player practically defined the modern role of libero.
And he went on to muse aloud over his personal future. "I'm going to see what happens, up to now I've never planned so far into the future. And in any case I have a job to do with the World Cup until 2006," he said, claiming no interest in the possibility of taking on another position, for example that of Fifa President. "No way, someone else will have to do it. The mountains await me," Beckenbauer declared.
Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern can look back on the most successful year in the club's history. Are you still a happy man, or are you disappointed about the current loss of form, after six Bundesliga matches without a win?
Franz Beckenbauer: "I'm not really disappointed, we had to expect a drop-off in performance. Following our extraordinary success last season, I'd expected us to go under a lot earlier. We have been tossing away Points in the last six games, despite always being the better side. And I think we've been a bit short on luck in this phase, but maybe we used it all up at the end of last season. Thank the Lord we now have the winter break, you can see our players are running out of energy, nothing was working any more. But all in all it's been a superb year."
What are your expectations for the second half of the season? The team faces another desperately tough schedule.
Beckenbauer: "I hope that our orgy of dropped points in the last few weeks is now over, and that we'll get down to business in the New Year. We do have Leverkusen and Dortmund coming to Munich in the league, we have the chance to close the gap. But we have to play perfectly until the end of the season, we cannot afford any more mistakes if we want to get right to the top. But we wouldn't be unduly disappointed with second or third."
But even this would require more points than you have now. Are you worried about the nightmare situation of Bayern not qualifying for the Champions' League?
Beckenbauer: "You know, even if it did happen we wouldn't close down the business for good, we'd have another go the following year."
How do you think the four newcomers - Pizarro, Thiam and the Kovac brothers - have done so far?
Beckenbauer: "Not one of them has let us down. Maybe we expected a little more from this or the other one, but all things considered we can be quite pleased. It's always tough to establish yourself at Bayern, one should not be over-critical in the first year."
How's it going with rebuilding the team? Deisler is on his way, we hear Ballack is coming too.
Beckenbauer: "I assume Michael will come. We'll have to wait and see if any other players join him. We have an outstanding squad both qualitatively and quantitatively."
Do you think Bayern will ever be in a position to buy players such as Raul, Figo or Zidane?
Beckenbauer: "We already have players who are not far behind the world class stars you've just mentioned. And I honestly don't think we need a transfer of this nature. There's no guarantee you'll win everything."
After years of debate, the project to build a new stadium in Munich has got the go-ahead. The only remaining problems are with the costs of the shortlisted designs.
Beckenbauer: "Yes, but both design teams know they have to come down in price. Not all the fixtures and fittings have to be absolute top notch, that's one way you can save some money."
Do you have a personal favourite?
Beckenbauer: "The two designs are completely different. The first is totally futuristic, the second is more classical. You can of course get very excited about doing something completely out of the ordinary, just like the Olympic stadium in its time. But each to his or her own taste. The most important thing however is the money. What use would it be to us, to have a a mighty stadium but a useless team, because we couldn't afford anything better?"
How do you think the German national side will get on in the World Cup?
Beckenbauer: "We have to get through the first round, that's the minimum. After that we'll need a bit of luck. But if we can play like we did against the Ukraine, when the Bayer Leverkusen players woked well together, and if a Bayern contingent gels on top of that, it needn't be at all bad."
There was a complete change in the national mood around the play-offs, beforehand the world was about to end, afterwards there was total euphoria.
Beckenbauer: "With the benefit of hindsight you have to say the two games were very important, as we found out at last where we really stand. If we had fluked a 1-0 victory against Finland we wouldn't really be able to say that. Our performance against the Ukraine has given us something to measure against, we can always look back to the match in this sense. And perhaps it also brought the team together properly as a unit."
Where are Germany in world terms?
Beckenbauer: "Argentina and France are right at the top, then there's a group with Spain, Italy and England, and we are in there as well. We currently don't have the characters a truly great team needs to push us right up to the top. Maybe Ballack and Deisler will develop in that direction. Oliver Kahn is such a player, but you can't impose yourself on a game so much as a goalkeeper."
You are head of the organising committee for the World Cup 2006 in Germany. Do you have any idea of what lies ahead in terms of work?
Beckenbauer: "Thank God I don't, otherwise I would probably throw myself out of the window here and now. But of course I'm looking forward to the task, it's genuinely exciting."
What do you think will change about football in the future?
Beckenbauer: "We are the last remaining country to allow ourselves two breaks in the season. You just have to look at England, Italy and Spain, they play right through the season. We on the other hand take six weeks off in the winter until the end of January, and that is a luxury. As soon as we get our new stadia thanks to the World Cup we could have another think about this."
You often appear in ads on TV. Will you keep doing that in the future?
Beckenbauer: "Of course, I have to earn a living somehow (laughs). All the jobs I do, they're all voluntary."
Where do you see yourself in 10 years' time?
Beckenbauer: "Walking in the mountains. But I'm going to see what happens, up to now I've never planned that far into the future. And in any case I have a job to do with the World Cup until 2006."
And what about the job of Fifa President?
Beckenbauer: "No way, someone else will have to do it. The mountains await me."
More Articles and Interviews
