Funkel brands Fortuna board cowardly pigs after shocking 2020 sacking
Trainer‑Legend Friedhelm Funkel, still seething, described his 2020 dismissal as "the worst dismissal of my life" and shouted "Ihr seid feige Schweine!" – "you are cowardly pigs" – at the Fortuna Düsseldorf board, a moment the club's Fans have never forgiven.
From March rescue to Bundesliga rise
Funkel took over Fortuna in March 2016 when the side was in acute relegation danger. He steered them to safety in the 2. Liga and then, as 2. Liga champions, returned the Traditionsklub to the Bundesliga.
In their first top‑flight season the team, featuring players such as Dodi Lukebakio, Kevin Stöger, Benito Raman and Kaan Ayhan, performed admirably and finished in Platz ten.
The fall and the fateful dismissal
The second Bundesliga campaign proved far tougher after several prominent departures. Fortuna wintered on Platz 16 and, after defeats to Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, slipped to Platz 18.
Funkel later told 11Freunde the termination was "die schlimmste Entlassung meines Lebens" because it was unexpected, unnecessary and incomprehensible. He had just been named Trainer of the Year of the city of Düsseldorf and insisted he had "null thoughts" about being let go, with 15 games still to play and confidence they would secure survival.
On the morning after his award, Funkel sensed something was amiss when no board members were present. Lutz Pfannenstiel, the then‑sport director, tried to reach him five times before a staff member summoned him upstairs. In the meeting Funkel asked Pfannenstiel and board chairman Robert Schäfer, "Wollt Ihr mich entlassen?" Schäfer remained silent, and Pfannenstiel confirmed the dismissal. Enraged, Funkel overturned a chair, roared "Ihr seid feige Schweine" and stormed out.
Aftermath and a surprising comeback
Uwe Rösler succeeded him, losing four of the remaining 15 matches, drawing six and winning only twice. The six draws were insufficient; a 0‑3 loss to Union Berlin on the final day sealed relegation, while Werder Bremen’s 6‑1 victory over 1. FC Köln lifted them past Fortuna to secure the final safe spot.
Funkel declared his coaching career over, insisting he would never manage another club. Yet months later he appeared as a firefighter for 1. FC Köln, helping the rival avoid relegation in the play‑offs against Holstein Kiel. He later rescued 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the 2023/24 season, guiding them to a cup final, and returned to Düsseldorf in 2025 to steer the Effzeh back to the Bundesliga with two late‑season wins, before being replaced by Lukas Kwasniok.