Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Dortmund CEO Watzke breaks silence after losing Bundesliga title
DORTMUND – Borussia Dortmund should not fear any long-term consequences despite dramatically missing out on the Bundesliga title, chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has said.
“Not at all! Anyone who thinks that is so wrong,” Watzke told Sport Bild on Wednesday in one of his first public comments since Saturday’s extraordinary end to the Bundesliga season.
Dortmund just needed to beat Mainz at home to win their first championship since 2012. Instead they drew 2-2 and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala struck on 89 minutes for a 2-1 victory at Cologne, which gave the Bavarians an 11th straight title.
Watzke said Dortmund had not been broken by a bomb attack on their team bus in 2017 nor by the late defeat in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 2013.
“So we will definitely not break because of the way the Bundesliga finished either,” he added.