August 27 – Christoph Daum, the charismatic German coach who was denied the national team job after failing a cocaine test, has died aged 70 from lung cancer.
Daum, who led Stuttgart to the Bundesliga title in 1992, also coached Cologne and Bayer Leverkusen to runner-up spots as well as winning league titles in Turkey and Austria.
He went public with his cancer battle in October 2022, saying he wanted to raise awareness of the illness.
As was typical during his colourful career in football, he was bullish in his fight, saying “cancer chose the wrong body”.
“Christoph Daum has left a significant mark on German football,” German FA (DFB) boss Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement. “He was a pioneer of the modern game and he was combative and passionate until the end.”
Daum, who coached nine different clubs, was lined up to take over the German national team until his career was rocked in 2000 by the eventual admission that he had taken cocaine, leading to his dismissal by Bayer Leverkusen.
Throughout his eventful life, he often emphasised the message: “You can fall. It’s not important how often you fall. You just have to keep getting up.”
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