Oliver Kahn Turns Down Schalke Offer To Become General Manager

Former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has reportedly turned down an offer from Schalke to take over the vacant post of general manager at the Veltins Arena.     

The ex-German international legend informed the Gelsenkirchen club on Friday that he would not be accepting their offer to succeed Andreas Mueller, who was fired last week in response to a disappointing season.

The ex-keeper has also been linked with the future general manager’s post at Bayern Munich when Uli Hoeness moves upstairs at the end of the year, but that didn’t play a role according to Kahn.     

“It wasn’t a tactical decision” Oliver Kahn told Sportbild.  “I would have loved to have done it, but the offer has simply come half a year too soon.”  

Kahn, who retired following a stellar career last May, has recently been in Asia promoting his various interests and has also appeared as an expert on ZDF.  

Despite declining the offer, Kahn revealed that it really wasn’t an easy decision to come to having discussed it at great length with his advisor Peter Ruppert.   

“It is just not the right time. I cannot fulfil my TV duties in China and have my head concentrated on Schalke,” he said.  

The knock-back, while a disappointment for Schalke, won’t set them back too much explained board member Clemens Tonnies.   

“It’s not too bad and we’ll carry on.  We were all agreed on Oliver. He is highly professional and has a good vision. He would have been a huge coup for Schalke though” Tonnies told Sportbild.  

So the search for a new general manager goes on, although Matthias Sammer, Heribert Bruchhagen, Oliver Bierhoff and Felix Magath have all already declared themselves to be not interested.

Mathew Burt, Goal.com