Niko Kovac was still unaware of Peter Hermann's death, and learned of it during a live broadcast after Borussia Dortmund's win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. He was still on the pitch when the Sky Germany journalist broke the sad news to him during the broadcast: "I'm sorry to surprise you like this..." The coach was stunned and looked down: he knew that his former deputy had been ill for a long time, but no one had informed him of his death.
Teaching him that way was a hard blow. "It's very difficult, I'm out of breath," the coach admitted, visibly shaken. For a few moments he was speechless, then he gathered himself and told one of the last times he had tried to talk to him, but without success. His reaction evoked a common feeling: did such a personal communication have to be made on television? That's why, beyond the harsh words, it is the whole context that made the situation even more difficult: it is one thing to tell him what happened, even though it hurts; it is another thing to ask him for a comment.
Kovac announced on live broadcast: "I couldn't talk to him anymore"
Hermann passed away at the age of 74 after a long battle with ALS. His death is a huge loss for German football, which knew him as one of the most important assistants who had worked alongside the likes of Jupp Heynckes and at clubs such as Bayern Munich, where he also won the treble in 2013, Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke 04, Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg.
The question completely changes the tone of the interview. "First of all, I would like to express my condolences to the family. I am very sad because a wonderful person has left us." Here Kovac pauses briefly after the host's words, then tells what happened about two months ago, when he tried to contact Hermann. "I tried to talk to him, but it was no longer possible. His daughter answered the phone. The disease had reached such an advanced stage that there was no longer any treatment."
The bond that united them went beyond the purely sporting aspect. Their professional and friendly relationship had begun when Kovac was still a footballer. “Yes, I played at Leverkusen… He was a man with extraordinary competence, it gives me goosebumps,” the coach recalled. With Hermann as his closest collaborator, Kovac had won a double in 2019 as coach of Bayern Munich.
After a few minutes, Kovac leaves the television position set up on the pitch and leaves. The journalist apologizes again for revealing Hermann's death to him in that way. "Yes, of course...", the coach muttered as he headed towards the locker room, while former footballer Lothar Matthaus hugged him, understanding his emotional state.
Coach cancels interviews and press conference
After being informed and confronted with the unexpected news on live broadcast, Kovac then made a decision: he refused to give any more interviews or take part in the usual post-match press conference. He was supposed to speak to ZDF television, but asked that his intervention be canceled.
Controversy over death reported on TV broadcast
The host's apologies at the end of the interview were not enough to calm the controversy that accompanied that interview. The question that was repeated and that divided opinions was only one: was it really impossible for Kovac to be informed before going on television and standing in front of the microphone, leaving him the choice of whether or not to publicly share his pain? The doubt whether it was impossible for the Borussia Dortmund coach to be informed in time about what had happened preserves the journalist's trust. But if it is true that the figure of Hermann deserved a mandatory mention for his career in German football, it is equally true that Kovac learned of his death in advance. Before he found himself with a camera and a microphone pointed at his face. This is the beauty and/or the bad side of live broadcasting, which cannot be turned into an excuse for everything.
