First appearance after Bochum ejection Peter Zeidler: "It hurts, my pride is hurt"

Luca Betschart

30.1.2025

Around three months after his dismissal from VfL Bochum, long-time St.Gallen coach Peter Zeidler takes a deep look and talks about the difficult time in the football talk Heimspiel.

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  • For the first time since his sacking from VfL Bochum, Peter Zeidler talks in detail about his dismissal in the football talk Heimspiel and admits that it has not left him unscathed.
  • On the one hand, the timing of the dismissal hurts the 62-year-old, as it came shortly before the game against record champions Bayern Munich.
  • But above all, Zeidler speaks of wounded pride: "It's like in a relationship when the other person ends it."

On Wednesday, Peter Zeidler will experience the final and decisive round in the league phase of the Champions League up close. The 62-year-old watched the match between Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain in the stadium and said enthusiastically: "I had a great seat, right behind the coaching bench. They were great players to watch. I had a great time."

The former St.Gallen coach saw at close quarters how two former protégés, Ermedin Demirovic and Leonidas Stergiou, who came on as substitutes, proved their skills on the big European stage.

The dismissal shortly before the highlight

The day after the Champions League showdown, Zeidler's path leads to Switzerland. In blue Sport's football talk show Heimspiel, he talks in detail for the first time about his dismissal from VfL Bochum, where he can fulfill his Bundesliga dream between July and October 2024. However, the adventure ended early, with Zeidler being dismissed after just eight competitive matches. The sobering result: 7 defeats, 1 draw and 18 goals conceded. This does not leave the long-serving St.Gallen coach unscathed.

On the one hand, the dismissal came shortly before the big highlight. "The game I was most looking forward to was against Bayern Munich. But I was away for five days before that," says Zeidler. "The pressure became too much for some. Only one point after seven matchdays - then they just decided the way they decided."

Pride hurt

But it wasn't just the timing of the dismissal that hurt. "My wife blames me for it, of course. She always says: You know what can happen. But when you identify totally with the club and the team, it's hard - just like in a relationship when the other person ends it," admits Zeidler.

And he continues: "Everyone thinks that you won't go hungry. But that doesn't matter at that moment. It's wounded pride. Someone tells you that you're no longer good enough. I've experienced that a few times now. You're only a real coach once you've been sacked. It hurts."

That's why it takes time to come to terms with the sacking. "It took a few weeks and months for me to regain the ease to do something," says Zeidler, taking one insight from the difficult time: "Football evolves. A coach who wants to be good always has to develop."