Berlin -
The German football mourns the loss of former player and coach Friedel Rausch, who died unexpectedly on Saturday at the age of 77 due to a heart failure, and became the protagonist of one of the funniest anecdotes in the history of the Bundesliga.
In 1969, during a game in which Rausch was playing for Schalke, a dog ran onto the field and bit the player on his buttocks. The image is still remembered in Germany decades later.
"When I'm in Germany, specifically in the Ruhr area, people immediately bring up this topic," he said on one occasion about the incident that occurred in the 37th minute of a match between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund.
Rausch played for Schalke 04 from 1962 to 1971, a team in which he would assume the role of coach for two seasons five years later. He continued his career as a coach at Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce in Turkey, and Iraklis in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In 1985, he took charge of FC Lucerne, a team he coached until 1992 and even managed to crown as Swiss League champions. In Switzerland, together with his wife, Rausch lived until his sudden death. (D)