Christoph Daum dead: Football coaching legend whose career marked by titles & drug scandal, dies aged 70
Christoph Daum, a prominent football coach known for his success in Germany, Austria, and Turkey, has died at the age of 70.
Daum's career highlights include winning championships in all three countries and nearly becoming the manager of the German national team in 2000 before a drug scandal derailed his career.
Daum, who had led Bayer Leverkusen to multiple runner-up finishes in the Bundesliga, was set to take over as Germany's national team coach. However, accusations of cocaine use surfaced, largely driven by a longstanding feud with Uli Hoeness, the general manager of Bayern Munich.
The allegations resulted in a drug test that returned positive, leading to Daum's dismissal from Leverkusen and his eventual admission of drug use. At the time, Daum seemed confident, saying: "A lot of people are going to have to say sorry," when he offered a hair sample for the drug test. However, both he and the public were shocked when the test came back positive.
Born on October 24, 1953, in Zwickau, Saxony, Daum moved to West Germany as a child after his father's death. He later studied at the German Sports University in Cologne and began his coaching career at FC Köln, where he became known for his intense motivational techniques. Daum led Köln to consecutive second-place finishes in the Bundesliga before moving on to Stuttgart, where he won the Bundesliga title in 1992.
Daum also found success internationally, winning the Turkish league with Besiktas in 1995 and later with Fenerbahce in 2004 and 2005. He coached Austria Wien to a domestic Double in 2002 and had a brief stint as the manager of Romania's national team in 2016, during which he oversaw his 1,000th match as a coach.
Daum is survived by his second wife, Angelica, and his four children. He passed away on Saturday, August 24, 2024.