Football: Legendary 1860 Munich coach Werner Lorant dies

The legendary German football coach Werner Lorant passed away aged 76 on Sunday, his family and former club, TSV 1860 Munich, confirmed.

As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, Lorant represented Borussia Dortmund, Rot-Weiss Essen, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Hannover 96, Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt, winning the German Cup and UEFA Cup with the latter.

But it was as the long-serving head coach of 1860 Munich between 1992 and 2001 that Lorant really made his name, leading Die Löwen (the lions) from the third division to the Bundesliga.

His greatest achievement was the team finishing fourth in 2000. This position in the Bundesliga saw 1860 enter the Champions League qualification play-off round — where they lost to English Premier League side Leeds United.

The German club confirmed Lorant's death following a long illness on Sunday, describing him as "one of the most successful coaches in the club's 125-year history."

"Football meant the world to him," his sister told 1860 fan website dieblaue24, who first reported the news. "When he no longer had football, he was no longer well. He loved Die Löwen. They were close to his heart."

'Everyone is entitled to an opinion — but only mine counts'

During his coaching career, Lorant developed a reputation for no-nonsense management.

Asked once by a journalist why he hadn't substituted a clearly injured player despite being 5-1 up against Nuremberg, he replied: "Players are only subbed if their leg falls off."

After being sent to the stands during an away game against Werder Bremen for insulting the referee, he then said the official "can be happy that I didn't slap him" — earning himself a fine of 8,000 marks (around €4,000 or $4,560).

Later in his career, he wasn't a fan of new technology and banned his players from using mobile phones, saying: "If a phone goes off [on the team bus], they can get off and use the phone to call a taxi."

His general motto as a coach was: "Everyone is entitled to an opinion — but only mine counts."

1860 Munich today: up for sale?

Nowadays, 1860 Munich – Bayern Munich's city rivals – are marooned in the third division again, having been forcibly relegated to the fourth tier in 2017 as a result of a complicated relationship with a controversial investor.

Jordanian billionaire Hasan Ismaik purchased a 60% stake in the club in 2011, helping to save it from insolvency, but he failed to understand that German football's 50+1 ownership rule prevented him from actually exercising majority control.

Following relegation to the third division in 2017, Ismaik effectively attempted to blackmail the club, withholding the necessary funding for a league license unless he was given full control — something the club were neither wiling nor legally able to do. Consequently, 1860 were automatically relegated to division four, before fighting their way back up.

But the relationship with Ismaik has remained strained — until he announced last Sunday that he would finally be interested in selling his stake in the club.

"I think 1860 needs someone new, they don't need Hasan," he told German public broadcaster ARD, referring to himself in the third person. "I want to sell the club and just be an 1860 fan."