At the age of 70, the old hand Friedhelm Funkel has shown everyone again. He has kept FC Kaiserslautern in the 2nd Bundesliga. We spoke to him on vacation.

Friedhelm Funkel enjoys a vacation at the Robinson Club Jandia Playa with his wife Anja after securing relegation with second division club 1. But as we all know, you’re never completely alone.

It so happens that RS employee Günther Pohl spends his vacations in the same hotel as the veteran coach. They know each other, so it’s no problem for the 70-year-old Funkel to squeeze in a short interview on the roof terrace on the tenth floor of the main building of the complex before Germany’s match against Switzerland at the European Championships, which we have split into two parts.

Because even on the Atlantic, he can’t quite put soccer to one side. His expertise on the European Championships is in demand from his fellow travelers. Here is part one of the interview.

Friedhelm Funkel, what do you have in common with James Bond and Howard Carpendale?

Oh, I’ll have to pass on that one. Maybe the age? Other than that, I really don’t have an idea.

Then we’ll help. James Bond said ‘never say never’ and Carpendale has also returned to the big stage after his retirement. Now you have also returned to work after you wanted to quit after your chapter at Fortuna Düsseldorf. First you saved 1. FC Köln, then Kaiserslautern. Can you say never say never now?

I don’t say that anymore. I really meant it at the time. I was planning to end my coaching career after my time in Düsseldorf. But then, after almost four years there, I was dismissed in an unpleasant way. That hurt a lot, then came corona and I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do. During this time, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t stop like this. That’s why I reversed my decision. After the request from 1. FC Köln, I took another chance to get back into the business. At the time, I already said that I wouldn’t rule anything out anymore. A year and a half later, I was approached by FCK and, after careful consideration, I accepted. It was an intense four and a half months. But the success made it very pleasant, we kept the league and reached the cup final. That’s why I say now, never say never.

What can still excite you after all your stations?

Soccer in general gives me a tingling sensation. Soccer has given me so much in my life. I can hardly live without soccer, even if that doesn’t mean I have to be a coach. Soccer fascinates me just as much as it did when I was six, seven or eight years old. If a coaching job came up where I was convinced I could help a club, then I would consider it. Because working with a team still appeals to me. I could imagine doing it again for a while, but not for a whole year. It takes too much strength and energy, you can’t forget your age.

Would a job as sports director be an option for you?

No, you can’t work as a sports director for just a few weeks. You have to be on site every day, spend months with the coach trying to put a team together. You’re always on the road, you have to hold talks, younger people are supposed to do that. On top of that, I want to be on the pitch, I want to give the lads tips and suffer along with the players. I need the smell of the grass and want to be on the pitch in all weathers.

You also keep fit and are very sporty on vacation. However, you don’t play golf, but you do play mini golf. How did that come about?

That’s right, I’ve never been fascinated by golf. There are so many fellow coaches and hundreds of footballers who play golf. It never appealed to me. A few years ago, a small group of friends and my brother said we were going to play mini golf. We all enjoyed it so much that we set up a round where we play mini golf with up to seven people every Wednesday. We’re always testing out new courses, which is great fun, but we’re also really ambitious – nobody wants to lose. And whoever comes last has to invite the whole group over for coffee and cake afterwards. When we get back from our vacation, we’ve arranged to meet again on 3 July and then we’ll go to the mini golf course.

You are a very sociable person. You like shooting clubs and carnival. Even on vacation, you are always together with lots of close friends, for example Paul Hahn. There are dates here too, which shows what has grown in soccer, doesn’t it?

That’s part of a vacation, although I also go on vacation alone with my wife. You mentioned Paul Hahn, I’ve known him since 1973, that’s a very long time. My brother is often there too, and friends from Krefeld sometimes join us. Then it’s nice to be able to take a carefree vacation