Hoeneß - There are other ways to manage a club
Munich - On January 5th 2012, Uli Hoeneß turns 60. The Bayern Munich president can look back on decades of success with the record champions, both as a player and, for many a year, as the sporting director.
Hoeneß, though, is more focused on the times to come at FC Bayern, as he explained in interview ahead of his milestone birthday.
Question: Uli Hoeneß, is turning 60 an opportunity for you to reflect on times past and if so, what's your verdict?
Uli Hoeneß: I'm not the nostalgic type, I've always been more concerned with the events of the moment. I still have a very tight schedule, so there's not much time for looking back - not that I want to anyway. You can't rest on your laurels in this business, or you end up at a standstill. Even if you win the Champions League you have to keep working away, flat-out.
Question: How do you view the position of FC Bayern today?
Hoeneß: It's great to witness how vital and alive the club is and the place it takes up in our society. Those are things we can all be very proud of. It's pretty special.
Question: Does Hoeneß the visionary still have concrete plans pertaining to the future of FC Bayern?
Hoeneß: We're very healthily placed on the sporting front. If UEFA really does implement its Financial Fair Play programme over the coming years, German football, and FC Bayern in particular, are fantastically well prepared for it.
Question: Will Uli Hoeneß still be president of Bayern Munich at 65?
Hoeneß: My presidency runs until the end of next year, when I'll be nearly 61. If I'm voted in for another term, that would take me up to 64. Then we'd have to see whether I continued on from there or not.
Question: You've won all there is to win in the game. Could you now imagine easing off a bit, or even calling it a day?
Hoeneß: That's the very mistake many people make. I'm enjoying life to the full. Obviously, you get situations where you just think -Ah, to hell with it. But after a night's sleep, that's all forgotten again. I like going to work. I have a lot of friends between 60 and 70 who used to be high up in the game at management level and aren't doing anything any more and it has dramatically accelerated the ageing process with them.
Question: Are you afraid of getting old?
Hoeneß: Not afraid, but I'm feeling the impact of it ever more in my own circles, and it does send a bit of a shiver down your spine.
Question: You're a very polarising figure. Is your image important to you?
Hoeneß: I'm not someone who gets up in the morning thinking - What do I have to do today to make myself look good? I've never done that.
Question: You've never avoided confrontation either. Do you sometimes regret certain things that have happened?
Hoeneß: I did overstep the mark on occasion. But I'm always prepared to apologise, and I tend not to bear grudges
Question: Is there enmity still bubbling over from any of your bust-ups down the years?
Hoeneß: Going back some 30-odd years there are two or three people still out there. I don't have anything to do with Christoph Daum any more, but I'd shake his hand. The only one who won't let it go, oddly enough, is (former Werder Bremen general manager) Willi Lemke - although I've had no contact with him for years. Otherwise? There aren't many people who have dealings with me and come away saying - He's a real jerk.- http://www.bundesliga.de
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