Dispute with parents

“As if they were BL managers”: Matthäus follows up

Lothar Matthäus quit as a youth coach.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI)

After Lothar Matthäus resigned as youth coach of TSV Grünwald a few days ago due to problems with the parents of his players, the 63-year-old told the German newspaper "Bild": "Suddenly some parents behaved as if they were Bundesliga managers."

"The success has obviously gone to the heads of many parents. I've won the championship three times in a row with my team, most recently being promoted to the top league. Suddenly, some parents acted as if they were Bundesliga managers and their children were a future Messi. As a coach, I then felt the demands," Matthäus told the tabloid. He received messages with complaints from seven in the morning until midnight. 

In addition to complaints from mothers and fathers that their children were playing too little or in the wrong position, the parents are also said to have turned on each other. "I could show WhatsApp histories in which nasty insults and accusations of the worst kind were made. It was all about envy and mutual jealousy. As a coach, you're stunned. It should be about fun for the children. In the end, the fun was taken away from me as a coach," said Matthäus.

In 2022, Matthäus' junior Milan received a Musiala jersey as a gift:

Like Alaba - only faster
After his parents interfered more and more in his job, the 1990 world champion quit. Matthäus had probably also taken on the job in order to train his son Milan, who now plays for FC Ismaning. Does the ten-year-old resemble his role model Jamal Musiala in terms of his player profile? "I'd say he's more like David Alaba - only faster," smiles Matthäus.