03/01/2002 (www.fcbayern.de)
Interview with Uli Hoene�
"I would make a good politician"
Bayern general manager Uli Hoene�, outspoken visionary of German football and the man at the helm in Munich for 23 years, celebrates his 50th birthday on Saturday. Interviewed shortly before reaching this personal milestone, the 1974 World Cup winner was in reflective mood as he discussed what it means to be satisfied personally and professionally, the challenges facing Bayern in the years ahead, and what he will do after his retirement in 2006 � a Oyes' to remaining involved with the club, but a definite Ono' to a career in politics, although Hoene� thinks he "would make a good politician."
Uli Hoene�, you celebrate your 50th birthday on Saturday. What do you want from the next year of your life?
Uli Hoene�: "I don't have much to wish for, because I'm one of those people who is totally satisfied with his life. Something I hate is people moaning and whingeing, complaining about everything. Of course there are hardship cases and problems. But we should be happy to be alive, at this time, in our community, in this country. There's nothing better in the world."
What are the biggest challenges you face over the next few years?
Hoene�: "First of all, we have to put together a new team of the same quality we have now. This is to ensure we don't fall apart, which has indeed happened to many excellent teams in the past. The new stadium is a massive challenge. We have never undertaken anything like it before. Nowadays, I have to deal with banks, I have to organise lines of credit. I've never, ever used the word "credit" in my life, privately or professionally."
People call you the visionary of German football. What form does your vision take?
Hoene�: "To keep convincing myself that what I do every day is a wonderful thing to do. To be satisfied, that's my vision. That I continue to get up in the morning a happy man, that I am me. That my dog jumps up to greet me. That in some small way I help many people to feel happier, because Bayern Munich is a functioning entity."
You have already said publicly 2006 will see your retirement as Bayern general manager. Why?
Hoene�: "Because I'm prepared to talk about it nowadays. Because that will definitely be the end for me. I always maintained it would be once we had won the Champions' League. And now I'm simply being clear about it. Because I've had enough of being asked about it every two years. Now everyone knows that I'm giving up after the World Cup. Maybe half a year later, so I can help my successor acclimatise."
Will you still go to games and sit up in the stands?
Hoene�: "Yes, of course. I will continue to serve Bayern as part of the supervisory board or as a consultant - I really don't know - if that's what people want. But that isn't a goal of mind. But I'm not going to give up and claim that Bayern doesn't interest me any more."
The club in some sense is "your" Bayern Munich. Would you still give up if things aren't going well in 2006?
Hoene�: "If something happened to me tomorrow - 20 years ago I was in a plane crash - you have to hope Bayern Munich would still keep going in some form. You cannot be so arrogant as to say: the club could not exist without me. What you can do is lay the foundations, prepare the ground for the club. I've worked hard for 20 years for this. But I am totally convinced the club would still be there without me, no question about it."
You've always said you don't like to dwell on the past. But is there anything in your life that you would do differently?
Hoene�: "I wouldn't get involved in subjects like the Daum affair. Although I have to say I remain surprised about what came out of all of that. At the time, I didn't fully appreciate the consequences. You make mistakes every day, there's something new to learn every day. I think it's the most important thing of all, not to get entrenched in a particular way of thinking."
Bayern Munich Limited is about to be formed. Why are you not taking on the job of chairman of the board?
Hoene�: "Just to give one example: when we travel with the team in the Champions' League, the chairman has to go to the post-match banquet and give a witty speech. If I was chairman, I would see myself as some kind of functionary or as a stand-in. I don't have "general manager" or anything like it on my business card. I see no value in things like that. It doesn't make the work I do better or worse."
Could you imagine yourself in politics in the future?
Hoene�: "Under no circumstances. I think I would make a good politician. But you find yourself surrounded by toadies and creeps. I had bitter experience of politics during the stadium debate and realised it wasn't for me. But if you are a political being, which I definitely am, you can still do something. You don't have to be actively in politics per se."
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