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Hitzfeld and Hoeneß 2017 in the Munich Allianz Arena: Good friends, no one can separate them
Photo:
Andreas Gebert/dpa
Uli Hoeneß was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2014 after reporting himself for tax fraud. However, Ottmar Hitzfeld stuck by the now 72-year-old Bayern Munich official - and also visited him behind bars.
Hoeneß has now remembered this special meeting with chocolate. Former Bayern coach Hitzfeld was one of his first visitors back then, Hoeneß revealed in a “Ruhr Nachrichten” podcast moderated by Oliver Müller and Werner Hansch.
Accordingly, he had even traveled to Landsberg the evening before so as not to miss the visiting time. »That's typical Ottmar Hitzfeld. I would never do that, I would just get up at six o'clock and maybe be late. But no, Ottmar spent the night there so that he could be at the prison gate on time," said Hoeneß.
Hitzfeld actually wanted to buy wine
Hitzfeld actually wanted to buy wine, but that was forbidden. According to Hoeneß, visitors could instead “bring two euros and then you can buy chocolate.” They both enjoyed these together.
For Hitzfeld, visiting his friend in prison was a matter of honor: “When someone is feeling bad, you have to pay them even more attention when the whole football world is complaining about them. If a friend is pilloried, you have to give them support too.
In the podcast “Hitzfeld – how BVB became a global club,” the Dortmunder Zeitung recalls Hitzfeld’s achievements. The football teacher, who comes from Lörrach, coached Borussia Dortmund from 1991 to 1997 and FC Bayern Munich from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2007 to 2008.
Hoeneß also had a hospital stay during his time in prison. In 2016 he was released from prison early for good behavior, and in 2019 the Augsburg regional court gave him the remaining suspended sentence.
apr/dpa