After Uli Hoeneß criticized his DFB position, Marc Kosicke sought a direct conversation. Now the Klopp confidant recounts how their phone call went.
Marc Kosicke didn’t want to let Uli Hoeneß’s criticism stand unchallenged. After the honorary president of FC Bayern questioned his appointment by the DFB, Jürgen Klopp’s longtime confidant picked up the phone. Kosicke has now described the exchange on FFH.
“I called him and left a message on his voicemail. Then he called me back, and I told him: ‘If you have a question, you don’t need to ask it publicly. You have my number, after all. Call me and I’ll answer all your questions,” Kosicke reported. According to his account, the matter was subsequently resolved: “Then we got it out of the way relatively quickly.”
In August, Hoeneß had been particularly critical of the connection between Klopp and his longtime advisor. “What I don’t like about this whole story is that his advisor, Marc Kosicke, was brought in. I’m not exactly sure what he’s supposed to be doing there. I think that’s a problem. The whole thing strikes me as a friendly takeover. Klopp and Co. have taken over the DFB, and I think that’s wrong,” he explained at the time on RTL.
Kosicke had already publicly rejected the takeover allegations and explained his role within the association. Now he has also provided background on how his unusual position on the coaching staff came about.
Klopp made Kosicke’s hiring a condition
Originally, a different role had been planned for Kosicke: “Actually, it was once said that I would become the manager of the national team. But then there were a few restrictions due to the Oliver Bierhoff situation. So it wasn’t that simple—I can understand that,” he said.
For Klopp, however, it was apparently clear that his longtime companion had to be part of the project: “Jürgen comes into a meeting with me and says: ‘Let’s be clear: I’m not doing any of this without Marc. Then a few people were taken aback and said, ‘Well, what’s he going to do, then? We already have everything,’“ Kosicke recounted.
The solution finally emerged at the suggestion of the national team coach. “Then Jürgen said, ‘You’ll see.’ Then they looked for a title for me, and it all had to be approved by the supervisory board and the president. Then Jürgen said, ‘Wouldn’t it be easier if he became my assistant coach?’—‘Yes, that’ll work,’ they said, and then I became assistant coach,” Kosicke explained. On the coaching staff, he handles strategy, development, and innovation.
Hoeneß had already reiterated his fundamental appreciation for Klopp after his initial criticism. During a later appearance, he described him as the best available solution for the German national team.