TSV 1860 Munich: Karsten Wettberg dies at the age of 84

Just last year the Lions mourned Werner Lorant at Easter, now they have to say goodbye to a successful coach again. As the third division football team TSV 1860 Munich confirmed on its homepage on Sunday afternoon, Karsten Wettberg “fell asleep peacefully at the age of 84 after a long illness”.

Wettberg came to TSV 1860 in February 1990. He had already made a name for himself as a successful coach in high-class Bavarian amateur football, for example in Landshut and Unterhaching, but he called the Lions “the greatest sporting challenge of my life”. He was supposed to master them: from February 1990 to June 1991, he and his team managed a sensational series of 54 competitive games without defeat.

At the first attempt he narrowly missed promotion from the Bayernliga to the second division, with a 3-3 draw on the last matchday against league leaders FC Schweinfurt 05, who were coached by Lorant. A year later, Wettberg received the title “King of Giesing” – at the honor for promotion to the second Bundesliga in 1991 on the town hall balcony from the then Mayor of Munich, Georg Kronawitter. His interview in his underpants, which he gave to BR after the last game of the promotion round against Borussia Neunkirchen, is legendary; The supporters stormed the square, some of them tore his clothes off.

His ban from the training ground was never officially lifted

However, the winning streak ended on the first matchday of the second Bundesliga South at SC Freiburg. The most successful amateur coach in Germany with a total of 52 titles was unable to stay in the league. He was released on May 18, 1992 after a 0-1 loss at VfB Leipzig; The Lions had to take part in a relegation round, which they could not manage successfully – even without Wettberg. But he retained the title “King of Giesing,” and even though he was only in office for a good two years, Wettberg burned himself into the lion’s memory for all time.

Wettberg achieved all of his footballing successes – including with the Lions, after which he worked at FC Augsburg and Jahn Regensburg, for example – as a part-time job: He worked at the post office until 2002, most recently as a senior post office councilor. From 2002 he sat on the district council of the Kelheim district, and in 2006 he was awarded the Federal Order of Merit for his various commitments.

Wettberg was also involved with the Lions: between 2007 and 2008 he was vice president and then briefly served on the supervisory board. And that despite the fact that he was officially banned from entering the training grounds by President Lilo Knecht when he was released. “I broke the ban,” Wettberg later said, “probably 1,000 times.”