Willi Lemke was one of the most successful managers in the Bundesliga. He has now died at the age of 77. The greats of German football and long-time companions said their farewells in Bremen Cathedral on Friday.
Numerous celebrities from politics and sport are attending the memorial service for Willi Lemke in Bremen Cathedral this Friday. The long-time manager of Werder Bremen and later Bremen’s Senator for Education died on August 12 at the age of 77.
“I experienced his work as a fan. And I saw that he led Werder Bremen to unprecedented heights. Bremen was a real pioneer in many fields,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, spokesman for the German Football League (DFL) and managing director of Borussia Dortmund.
Others from German professional football include former Werder coach Otto Rehhagel, former Werder strikers Rudi Völler, Klaus Allofs and Ailton, and former manager colleagues such as Reiner Calmund. TV presenter Laura Wontorra, daughter of Werder fan and TV legend Jörg Wontorra, is also a guest. “Willi brought me to Werder Bremen together with Otto Rehhagel and supported me on my further path,” said Völler, sports director of the German Football Association (DFB).
Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel praised Lemke as a “quick-witted, committed and totally reliable friend. He was someone the SPD could really be proud of.”
The funeral service for Lemke will also be broadcast on a large screen on Bremen’s market square in front of the cathedral. Many citizens took this opportunity to say goodbye to one of the city’s most famous personalities.
The SPD politician was manager of Werder Bremen from 1981 to 1988, then Bremen’s Senator for Education and Interior, and from 2008 to 2016 he was also UN Special Representative for Sport for Peace and Development.
“The attention he is getting today is well deserved,” said former Werder player and coach Thomas Schaaf: “Because he has reached so many people and stood up for them.”
jwo/dpa
