In talk with Sebastian Kehl! (part 2)
Within the scope of the BVB show in Dortmund’s public radio “91,2” Christine and Jens got into talk with Sebatian Kehl. For over one hour they talked actively about sports, private issues and the relationship between the team and the supporters. A part of this was already aired some weeks ago and now schwatzgelb.de publishes the complete interview. Here now the second of two articles.
schwatzgelb.com: Let’s talk about another topic: At the moment we have an enormous amount of injuries at BVB. Are you completely satisfied with the medical staff’s work or do you have problems with them?
Sebastian (laughs): Critical question.
schwatzgelb.com: It is somehow curious. Some injuries and thus the time the player is missing are easy to understand, i.e Christoph Metzelder. But when looking at Amoroso or Flavio Conceicao I have difficulties to understand what happens there. Especially considering Flavio the questions that are asked are appropiate as he injured two times during rehabilitation. When does this stop? Can you tell me what your view of these things is?
Sebastian: I think no one of us is delighted by the many injured players. Considering the one or other player I ask myself when do they return. This morning I asked Dede what news there are about Amo and Eva (sg.com: Amoroso and Evanilson), but he knows not very much about those 2 at the moment. There are also many things the actual squad doesn’t get to know. Some injured players aren’t even in Dortmund at the moment and heal their injuries abroad and get treatment there. I am totally satisfied with our medical staff. I think we have very, very good physiotherapists and also a very good doctor, who does a great work this season, who is very ambitious, who makes everything possible and who is available day and night. Regarding this aspect we have improved. The enormous number of injuries is undoubted. By some means or other it was just bad luck. Like in Flavio’s case who wasn’t completely fit and thus ruptured a muscle fiber and during rehabilitation suffered two times the same injury at a very mean location. That is just bad luck. Who is or is not responsible for this – I think nobody can ever tell the answer. Everyone, also the physiotherapists and doctors, try to get the players fit as fast as possible. At all I think it is a discussion started by people outside BVB. People ask me very often about this issue, but I can just tell them that I am satisfied with and totally convinced of our medical staff.
schwatzgelb.com: We also hope that it is just bad luck, because it has to end betimes. Anyway, could you imagine that the high number of injuries could be due to the new shoes? There was a news some time ago that the teams of the National Football League (NFL), which are equipped centrally, refused to wear the new shoes with the new soles, because the risk of injuries was too high. What type of shoes do you use? With classic soles our with new soles? The manufacturer doesn’t matter as everyone produce the new shoes.
Sebatian: Well, when you look at the soles of Nike and Adidas you see that there actually are differences. Anyway, Torsten (sg.com: Frings) and Eva played Adidas shoes and both suffered from torn cruciate ligaments. So you can’t blame the product. I wear Adidas and am conviced of the shoes and its new soles. Without doubt there is a discussion, I have also talked to Dr Müller-Wohlfahrt at the national team. It is like this: Adidas is the world biggest producer of football shoes. They will follow the way the are on now, as they are conviced that the new sole architecture has no influence on the high number of knee injuries. Regarding this several test and medical examinations have been made in which no connection was detected.
It seems it is more or less due to regenerative phenomenons, fatigue or missing fitness or faulty coordination that these injuries happen. I think it is not mainly a shoe problem.
schwatzgelb.com: Ok, another topic: What do you think is what is the BVB fans’ opinion of you?
Sebastian: Uh, that is difficult. Honestly, I don’t know (sg.com: some worrying crinkles appear on his face). Sometimes I get the feeling I am not very beloved by the Dortmund fans. I got this feeling at least one time though I was disproved from some other persons. You say to yourself: you give everything on the pitch and that could be honoured on the stands. But I have also the feeling that that is not always the case. I don’t know why it shouldn’t be like this. Ok, I messed up two times in the near past. That the fans are angry is understandable. That they say my red cards weren’t acceptable is alright. Despite this I think I am a guy that fits to Dortmund and BVB as I am by my mentality, not only on but also off the pitch, a guy that get along with the people, who sacrifices himself for the club, who fights back and doesn’t care getting some scratches. I often risked some serious injuries. That it doesn’t work out perfectly always and you have a streak of bad matches is normal. That I have to work on my game and that I am not yet on the level I see myself is also clear. I have already start thinking about why people sometimes think that I am arrogant. Is the Bayern story still in their heads? I don’t know. I just want to be as straight as I can be.
schwatzgelb.com: We can’t confirm your concerns. We know next to no one that thinks this way about you. Of course there are some that say your action in Bochum was stupid. But others say they rather have a player that every now and then knocks down an opponent as you can see from those actions that he is willing to give everything for the club.
Sebastian: That is like everywhere in real life. Some look at it this way some the other. Some choose SPD, some CDU (sg.com: the 2 biggest political parties in Germany). Some actions are recognized this way, some others say it was stupid. I just try to convince the people that I get to know that I do everyhing for the club and that I am a normal likeable guy that has no airs and graces.
schwatzgelb.com: You just mentioned a topic that is interesting us very much. What do you think of your development regarding the football aspect? You had a superb first half year here in Dortmund, played on a very high level and were on your way to become already a kind of leader of this team. But then there was, in our opinion, a break. Of course this break was feelable in the whole team after the Bundesliga championship in 2002. What do you think of this? Does your development stop or do you think you have made further progresses since then?
Sebastian: I think on some aspects I have developed since then. Of course you have to mention that my first 3 years as a professional, not only here in Dormtund but also in Freiburg and Hanover (sg.com: in the 2.Bundesliga), were a constant way up. After the first year some people told me that the second year would be very difficult. So I raised my afford. After the second year they said that after 2 good years of football the third one will see me not getting it done. But also in this third year I improved, became German champion and runners-up to the World Cup 2002. At all it was a steady way up. Every year I was convinced that a bad period would start as with good performances you boost the expectations and the pressure mounts. In Freiburg and also in the beginning here in Dortmund the pressure surely wasn’t as big as it is today. Along with all my successes I achieved, it won’t become easier for me. Last year I haven’t made a big step forward like in the 3 years before. There were also periods where my game stagnated. That are the times when you start to doubt yourself. But at all I can promise you I will train harder and that I will much more concern about what is going on then afore. Maybe that is sometimes the problem. You just think to much about the current situation and loose your light-hearted way. Maybe that is why my performances are not looked at the same way like one and a half year ago. In my opinion it is important to perform on a constant level and not playing one match world class and let it be followed by 3 bad ones. That is on what I am working: That people say, Kehl is a guy you can count on, he shows good performances, he does everything for the team. Hopefully I will also start to score again. I missed a couple of times by centimeters only. I am also convinced that things will improve next year.
schwatzgelb.com: Earlier players like you, who fought more than they played, where very popular. Just remember Susi Zorc. They matched Borussia’s image. But this image changed a little in the past years. Today it is more on technique and the art of playing. But there are a lot of people who like matches like the one against Hamburg or Sochaux more – matches where everyone fights and so we think you are more popular than it may seem.
One general question: Surely there is a hierarchy in every team, one is strong and the other not that strong. Is Matthias Sammer laying great value on that?
Sebatian: Certainly he has key players in the team, that goes from defense to offense, from which he always expects a lot. But I don't want to name those palyers here. There are players, who are supposed to lead the match and take responsiblity. It is important to have such players in the team.
schwatzgelb.com: Let's move on to another delicate topic. The standards. Are you practicing corners (loud laughing)?
Sebatian: I talked about this with Uwe Neuhaus this weekend and he said: There were times when we practicsed standards five days a week and we didn't score. Then there was another time, where we didn't practice this at all and we didn't score either. I believe we are waiting for a goal after a corner for almost a year by now. That is certainly an area, where we have to enhance and where we did a lot, but without success.. But it will workout sometime.
schwatzgelb.com: Not to forget the directly scored freekick in Ge....
Sebatian: Ah, yes, Herne East.
schwatzgelb.com: West. But the forbidden city is located in the west of Herne so it is rather Herne-West. Someone said the wrong location some time ago, but east of Herne Dortmund is located and not the forbidden city. But it is good that you are not using this ugly word beginning with „Sch“ and ending with „alke“. Are the players aware what this match means to the fans? We can, of course, understand, that it is hard for a Brazilian to understand what it means to play against Gelsenkirchen.
Sebatian: Of course we try to adapt to that. As a German it is more easy to adapt to that than as foreigner. But you can't show that enthusiasm. But I try to do so, simply because I know what it means to the fans. And it is an exciting feeling the bus being hit by mugs on the way to the stadium. That's really pushing. The entire week is brewing and there is a lot of fire in it. You certainly realize what it means to the fans. And to adapt to that, you try to sell yourself as expensive as possible. That it is much worse for Lars Ricken who is born in Dortmund is common sense in our team. But every player knows, that this is a very special match.
schwatzgelb.com: What do you, as a player, realize from the fact that football is more and more being commercialised? Do you realize that there are fans who are very, very critical or that the atmosphere has changed simply because a lot people regard themselves as customers? When I am customer, I complain on a bad product, saying: I whistle, if it doesn't work out that good. In the past there was more identification with the club, there weren't that much complains. Did you ever thought about that?
Sebatian: Of course you think about something like that. Our stadiums capacity is growing more and more and that there are not all Borussia hardcore fans but people who paid a lot of money for that ticket and except something special, I certainly thought about. But on the other hand, football is in a position today, that one or the other thing is being financed by something like that. You just have to look on the new stadiums to see what is going on. There are malls, concerts are being given and a lot of more is being sold. You see that this is an important source of income which is neccessary that it is no longer only about the fans, but on earning as much money as possible to finance the players and to keep the system running. That something has changed and this change is not only positive for us players, simply because the atmosphere is suffering and the mentality gets lost, is clear to me. But whatever. The people bring the money and I can say, of course, that I am not sad about that and I earn according to that not too bad. But it is still about football and not about money.
schwatzgelb.com: But this is a nice side effect, isn’t it?
Sebatian: Yes, of course. If I said that I’m not happy about earning so much money I would make myself riduculous. I do happily accept the offered money, sure. As a professional football player one has only a limited period of time to earn money. One may not forget how soon this can be over, how many unemployed players there are. The whole system is, I think, at a crossroad, how it can continue. I suppose it will show quite soon if salaries keep increasing or decrease.
schwatzgelb.com: It is a fact that the salary madness is linked to some, few players. Especially in the 2nd and 3rd division there are many clubs that can’t pay their players enough, allowing them to live from the money after their careers.
Sebatian: When I was playing in Freiburg I was earning well in contrast to every other working person, but if I had earned as much for ten years it would have become hard later. In such clubs the sums people from outside expect are not paid. The talk is about millions but in many clubs, even in the Bundesliga, the money, people dream of, is not paid.
schwatzgelb.com: Let’s switch to another topic: You are living in Dortmund now, are you missing your family?
Sebatian: Yes, I’m missing my family very often although I have been away from home for quite a long time. In fact, I left when I was sixteen. It was a hard time, then, especially the first six month alone in Hanover. But meanwhile I’m getting along. I’ve been, as already said, for more than six years away from home, I’ve found my rhythm of life, got a certain aim in my head and I’m getting along with the situation. Of course, I’m looking forward to every free day I can visit my parents on. My grandmother’s still alive, so I always feel well. My brothers come to visit me every now and then, one of them was in the stadium recently. I’m simply glad to have such a good family that always stands by me, especially in bad times.
schwatzgelb.com: Was it a big shift for you? You just said that you went to Hanover at the age of sixteen but you’re originally from a village near Fulda…
Sebatian: Yes, I left Fulda at the age of sixteen and a half, quit school to continue with it in Hanover. I achieved my Abitur (A-levels), had a flat I had to finance myself and with the help of my parents. I did not, as it’s usual nowadays with the large clubs, live in a boarding-school or went to a school cooperating with the club. I attended just a normal school where the teachers had to be understanding. One did, one didn’t. Parallely I played football, went training with the professionals, often in the mornings. That meant school, training, then school again and training in the afternoon. It was not an easy time and that’s what I tell the guys here: The harder the first years are the easier it gets later. You develop abilties concerning independence, concerning behaviour off the pitch and you can use much of this on the pitch. Moreover, if you have a hard coach who drives you, as a young player, to desperation and even makes you cry, it puts the finishing touches to you. I would not want to do without this time because for me it was good and instructive. In these days I used to complain and think about giving up but today, with some distance, I sometimes laugh about it. It was good how it went. And I’m very proud of how I stuck to everything. I finished my A-levels and even let a World Cup slip for my exams but I’m lucky about how it went. Without the support, and now we’re back to this topic, the support of my family it wouln’t have been possible. Things were not made easy for me, as it is today, but I’m not angry about it.
schwatzgelb.com: OK, that’s a nice word to finish with. We thank you for taking the time.
Sebatian: It was great fun for me, too.
In talk with Sebastian Kehl! (part 1)
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