Jochen Saier on the successful year of SC Freiburg – football

Last Tuesday night, just after the game ended. The famous Hamburger Arena is firmly in Freiburg’s hands. Goosebumps mood: here the exuberant cheering of the players in front of the bulging fan curve, there in front of the coach’s bench of the sports club Jochen Saier’s winning fist. The otherwise rather reserved sports director of SC Freiburg lets all emotions out of himself this time, first hugging trainer Christian Streich and sports director Clemens Hartenbach, before he rushes into the curve and hugs all the players who cross his path.

Jochen Saier: “A special moment, a special evening”

Everything that came from Freiburg celebrated the 3-1 win at HSV and the associated entry into the DFB Cup final in Berlin in an incredibly beautiful way. For the first time in the club’s history, Freiburg is going to the final: “It was a special moment, a special evening,” said Jochen Saier in an interview with SWR Sport. “All the tension has released. And of course we also celebrated afterwards in the hotel, but everything in a healthy dose. After all, in addition to the extraordinary success in the cup, we still have tasks ahead of us in the Bundesliga.”

Cup success at HSV as a birthday present for the 44.

For the SC sports director, the cup success in Hamburg was also the best personal gift. Because the day after, Jochen Saier turned 44: “There were congratulations on your birthday and on getting into the cup final. In doubles and combination it was more than usual,” said Saier about the celebrations in Hamburg.

In the days that followed, SC Freiburg received a lot of appreciation nationwide that week, and congratulations came from all sides for the likeable club from Breisgau: “It’s something very special for the city and the club,” says Jochen Saier. “Reaching the cup final was a unique experience, a unique success. In a wonderful setting in this great city,” says Saier with a smile. “And then, to be honest, I stayed there two days longer.”

Jochen Saier has been with SC Freiburg for 20 years

Jochen Saier has more than earned his success and worked for it over a long period of time. Saier has been full-time at SC Freiburg for exactly 20 years. In 2003, the trained sports economist became youth coordinator and head of the famous Freiburg soccer school. In 2013, he was promoted to acting sports director, and a year later the native of Lahrer was promoted to the sports club’s board of directors.

Youth promoter Saier and the Freiburg football school

Since then, numerous young Freiburg players have made it into the Bundesliga team: Oliver Baumann, “Chicco” Höfler, Jonathan Schmid, Matthias Ginter, Christian Günter, Alexander Schwolow and Nico Schlotterbeck, to name just the most renowned, some of whom even became national players. And the youthful source from Breisgau keeps bubbling up: Recently, Kevin Schade, Kiliann Sildillia, Yannik Keitel, Noah Weißhaupt and Nishan Burkart also sniffed Bundesliga air, these guys stand for the next generation of the Freiburg football school.

Freiburg continuity

Along with Christian Streich and Clemens Hartenbach, Jochen Saier is considered a pillar of the rapid upward sporting development of recent years and the promotion of young people at the foot of the Black Forest. A trio that stands for continuity and longevity in Breisgau, which gives the players in Freiburg a much-vaunted feel-good atmosphere. And even if they were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga like in 2015, the Sport-Club doesn’t let itself be pushed down the wrong track with hasty decisions.

Jochen Saier: “An extraordinary year”

Now, in 2022, SC Freiburg and with it the sports director Jochen Saier have reached their current sporting peak. Participation in the Champions League is a realistic goal, participation in the DFB Cup final on May 21 in Berlin will be the emotional culmination of Freiburg’s unique football culture. It doesn’t matter how it turns out. “This is an extraordinary year for us,” Jochen Saier is happy about the current successes, but warns against exaggerated expectations when it comes to the future: “Next season everything will be reset and we have to work hard for everything again .”

Freiburg and the dream of Europe

Before that, however, the people of Freiburg want to buy the ticket for the trip to Europe in the next four weeks – via the Bundesliga or the DFB Cup: “Now we’ve been clinging and biting ourselves up there for so long,” says Jochen Saier, “and ideally Let’s confirm that now and make our dream come true.”

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