Ex-Dortmund Manager Thomas Tuchel Claims Bus Attack Was Catalyst Behind His Exit
Former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel has suggested that he would still be in charge of the club had it not been for an attack on their team bus hours before a Champions League match against AS Monaco.
A number of current and former players have been giving testimony in court surrounding the attack, most notable of which has come from Marc Bartra who was injured when a bomb detonated next to the team bus.
However, Tuchel has also been in court to testify and German outlet Bild report that the 44-year-old, who has been linked with the managerial job at Bayern Munich, saw his relationship with the club's hierarchy deteriorate after the attack - a public fallout with Hans-Joachim Watzke is understood to be the reason behind Tuchel's exit.
"We shouldn't have been allowed to play," Tuchel told court on Monday, translated by a user on Reddit.
"Because of how we dealt with the attack and the fallout there was a disagreement between Watzke and me. That was part of the reason that led to us parting ways."
"I think the biggest dissent between me and Watzke was that I was on the bus and Watzke wasn't."
When asked if he would still be in charge at the Westfalenstadion if the attack hadn't happened, Tuchel responded: "I would assume so, yes."
Borussia Dortmund are already under the guidance of their second head coach since Tuchel's exit. After former Ajax manager Peter Bosz tried and failed to push the club further up the league table at the start of the season, veteran boss Peter Stöger was called in to steady the ship until the end of the campai.
