DFB.de: How are you approaching this new task? What are the most important areas you will be working on?
Hrubesch: My emphasis is clearly on the sporting aspect, which is also where all my experience lays that I want to bring into this job. This year we are playing in a U17 European Championship, a U19 European Championship, the U20 World Cup and the U21 European Championship. Furthermore, we are taking part in the Confederations Cup in Russia. There are many highlights and we want to be successful and win titles at all tournaments.
DFB.de: You already mentioned bringing in your experience to help the DFB continue its successful journey. How exactly do you plan doing that?
Hrubesch: You can feel a spirit of optimism here. The new DFB and the Academy are shaping the future. We want to carry on with this momentum. We are the defending World Champions on the men’s side and the reigning Women’s Olympic Champions. I’ve been at this association since 2000, we had a great development and won titles at youth levels as well, but we always want to improve. Like I said: We want stay on Hansi Flick’s successful path. We can only make history together. Individual people and even myself in my new function are not important. We can only be successful if we work together as a team. All employees of the DFB should pursue their work with conviction and joy. That’s the only way you will come home at the end of the day feeling satisfied and knowing you contributed to the whole.
Initially, the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio were meant to be the crowning end to Horst Hrubesch’s career at the DFB. After 16 years with the association, winning the European Championship with the U19 (2008) and U21 (2009) teams, he received special honours for his outstanding achievements in German football.
Just two weeks after his contract ended, the 65-year-old is already back on board and has succeeded Hansi Flick as sporting director. In this DFB.de interview, Horst Hrubesch talks with editor Maximilian Schwartz on his new job.
DFB.de: Mr. Hrubesch, were you already looking forward to retirement?
Horst Hrubesch: (laughs) No, I wouldn’t have gone into retirement despite my contract having ended. Obviously it came as a surprise when they approached me to offer me this job. But I didn’t have to contemplate for long at all whether I would accept the offer. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m full of energy for this new task.
DFB.de: Why didn’t you have to think about it that long?
Hrubesch: It’s just more convenient when the person who takes over this job already knows the DFB and has lots of experience. A different solution doesn’t make any sense. Apart from that, I really enjoy the challenge that the job presents. Hansi Flick has done an outstanding job these past two and half years. This path that he and all the employees at DFB set upon is one I want to pursue.
DFB.de: You will act as caretaker for the sporting director position, while the search of a potential successor is closely linked with the sporting conception of the new DFB and their planned academy, which will be further discussed on an extraordinary DFB general meeting in September.
Hrubesch: I want to continue DFB’s successful path on a sporting level and in the course of the year we will find a mutual solution. We have to highlight which requirement profiles are essential for this job and what exactly a sporting director has to accomplish or whether we even want to continue naming it like that in the future.
DFB.de: How are you approaching this new task? What are the most important areas you will be working on?
Hrubesch: My emphasis is clearly on the sporting aspect, which is also where all my experience lays that I want to bring into this job. This year we are playing in a U17 European Championship, a U19 European Championship, the U20 World Cup and the U21 European Championship. Furthermore, we are taking part in the Confederations Cup in Russia. There are many highlights and we want to be successful and win titles at all tournaments.
DFB.de: You already mentioned bringing in your experience to help the DFB continue its successful journey. How exactly do you plan doing that?
Hrubesch: You can feel a spirit of optimism here. The new DFB and the Academy are shaping the future. We want to carry on with this momentum. We are the defending World Champions on the men’s side and the reigning Women’s Olympic Champions. I’ve been at this association since 2000, we had a great development and won titles at youth levels as well, but we always want to improve. Like I said: We want stay on Hansi Flick’s successful path. We can only make history together. Individual people and even myself in my new function are not important. We can only be successful if we work together as a team. All employees of the DFB should pursue their work with conviction and joy. That’s the only way you will come home at the end of the day feeling satisfied and knowing you contributed to the whole.
