"Krone" column

Prohaska on Daum: “A fighter to the end”

Herbert Prohaska writes about the death of Christoph Daum.

(Bild: GEPA/Krone Kreativ, GEPA Pictures)

Herbert Prohaska writes in his "Krone" column about the death of coaching legend Christoph Daum.

When I think of Christoph Daum, the first thing that comes to mind is our last meeting in Vienna in July 2023. During his visit to Austria, he told me about his incurable illness in the Generali Arena - with an ease and openness that I admired him for. He was aware that, despite all his efforts, there was no cure.

Herbert Prohaska (l.) with Christoph Daum

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Not afraid of Bayern
Christoph tried to delay his end as long as possible. He was a fighter through and through, a quality that had also distinguished him as a coach. From the 1990s onwards, Daum dared to take on the big Bavarians not only in sporting terms, but also verbally; he was a border crosser who also collected a number of titles. With teams that all played very attractively, even in football-mad countries such as Turkey, where he was a true hero. He also overstepped the mark with stories like the cocaine affair, which certainly damaged his reputation in Germany.

I don't think Austria fitted into his sporting world view. But Frank Stronach was paying impressive salaries at the time - even in Germany. That's how he was able to lure talented players like Daum to our league. In Favoriten, you could wish for anything as a coach back then, and most of it was fulfilled. Daum was certainly proud of the 2003 championship title with Austria - but he probably didn't count it among the highlights of his career.