The BVB shareholder requests the immediate dismissal of Lucien Favre

As he has not yet been able to lead Borussia Dortmund to the championship title, Lucien Favre should give way to a new manager – at least that’s what a BVB shareholder requires. Club head Hans-Joachim Watzke supports the Swiss.

German media and football pundits have canceled Lucien Favre in Dortmund for a long time (and repeatedly), but BVB have not yet lost faith in the Vaud people. So Hans-Joachim Watzke continues to protect the coach.

A shareholder had asked for Favre’s dismissal on Thursday at the annual general meeting, which was held online, because he had not yet become champion of Germany with the BVB. “Judging a manager on the basis of titles is not enough,” says the managing director of the BVB. With FC Bayern, BVB currently have the best team in the world in the Bundesliga, “but we have come close to them,” Watzke said.

Everyone would expect Borussia Dortmund to break Bayern’s long dominance. “To do this, we have to do something extraordinary to get closer,” Watzke says. But there are limits to the second champion with FC Bayern’s sales advantage. “It must make economic sense.”

Watzke clarifies his point of view with a comparison. Christian Streich is one of his highly regarded coaches, even though he wouldn’t win any titles with SC Freiburg. Favre has been working in Dortmund since summer 2018 and still has a contract until the end of the season. While he has not yet been able to bring BVB to the hoped-for successes, Favre has a better points average (2.04) than many of his predecessors, including successful manager Jürgen Klopp (1.90).

Big losses due to the crown crisis

Due to the effects of the crown pandemic, Watzke also has to announce poor annual figures to shareholders. So far a loss of almost 70 million euros is assumed for the current year. The record could be even worse if only ghost games were still possible.

The current forecast has been budgeted with an occupancy rate of 20 percent of the total 81,000 seats in the stadium. “But I don’t see it at the moment,” says Watzke, who demands patience and promises shareholders that at least the association will not face any existential threats.