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Ottmar Hitzfeld Details Burn-Out Crisis That Led Him to Decline German National Coach Role

Pre-release excerpts from Andreas Böni’s Mensch Fußballstar portray Hitzfeld’s private burn-out alongside severe panic attacks to expose entrenched mental-health gaps in top-tier football.

Der damalige Schweizer Trainer Ottmar Hitzfeld, aufgenommen vor dem Gruppenspiel der WM 2014.
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Overview

  • Excerpts published by Bild and corroborated by AFP and dpa reveal that Hitzfeld’s burn-out and depression in 2004 prevented him from accepting the German national-team coaching position.
  • He recounts a panic attack in his car that triggered claustrophobia and acute breathlessness, leading him to seek psychiatric help and begin antidepressant treatment.
  • Following three days confined to bed and battles with back pain and insomnia, Hitzfeld retreated to Engelberg for an eighteen-month recovery before resuming top-level coaching in 2007.
  • Hitzfeld draws parallels between his ordeal and a broader culture in elite football that discourages admitting weakness under relentless scrutiny.
  • Mensch Fußballstar, set to be published on August 18 by Meyer & Meyer Verlag, has sparked widespread media coverage and renewed calls for enhanced mental-health support in the sport.