Borussia Dortmund bomb attack was the catalyst behind Thomas Tuchel sacking as director explains how relationship was 'torn apart' with England manager

Tuchel, who was appointed in 2015, was sacked just days after winning the DFB-Pokal. At the time, the split was believed to be due to internal tension and frustration over the club’s failure to seriously challenge Bayern. Now, Watzke says the turning point came much earlier. He explained that the bomb attack on the Dortmund team bus in April 2017 strained their relationship. The incident happened before Dortmund’s Champions League match against Monaco, and the rescheduled game was played less than 24 hours later. Tuchel publicly criticised the decision to go ahead with the game so soon after the attack, saying the players needed time to process the trauma.

Watzke claims Tuchel's public statement did not match what was agreed internally. He says players were given a choice the night before the game, and that the situation was more complex than how it appeared from the outside.

"I don't want to go into the details for the hundredth time. What's important to me, however, is that what was reported publicly didn't correspond to what we had discussed internally. Every player was absolutely free not to play the next day without any consequences. We met immediately after the season to discuss how things would proceed," Wazke revealed to Sport Bild.

He added that once the season ended, talks were held to discuss the future, but the relationship had already broken down.

"No one tried to find common ground. There was no real dialogue at all. After 20 minutes, it was clear: it couldn't continue."

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The Dortmund director said tensions between him and Tuchel escalated after the incident, creating a divide that became hard to repair. He believes the situation might have unfolded differently if emotions hadn’t been so high at the time.

"Looking back: I don't think things would have come to this without the attack," the German said. "And in retrospect, I have to say: I probably wouldn't dismiss Thomas Tuchel today. But back then, we had torn each other apart so much because of this issue that things probably wouldn't have turned out well on a human level."

Despite the friction, Watzke says he now has a good relationship with the England coach again. "Today I get along well with Thomas again. We talked things out. And I have to say: He is an outstanding coach."

Tuchel left Dortmund in 2017 and went on to coach Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich before taking charge of England in 2024. He has made a strong start with the national team after a turbulent end to Gareth Southgate's tenure. The Three Lions completed their World Cup qualifying campaign unbeaten and without conceding a goal, finishing with a 2-0 win over Albania. The run has boosted early belief in Tuchel’s project as he prepares for his first major tournament with the English team.