"When you look at our programme for the next few weeks, you do not fancy a trip to the Oktoberfest"
About this Quote
It lands because it’s such a blunt, almost unglamorous way of announcing seriousness. Oliver Kahn doesn’t say “we’re focused” or “we’re hungry” - he reaches for Oktoberfest, the most recognizably Bavarian shorthand for indulgence, distraction, and soft edges. Coming from Bayern Munich’s famously hardline goalkeeper, the joke has teeth: if you’re thinking about beer tents and brass bands, you’ve already lost.
The intent is managerial even when Kahn was still a player: set the emotional thermostat in the room. By framing the upcoming schedule as something that makes celebration feel absurd, he’s turning fixture congestion and high-stakes matches into a moral argument. It’s not just that the next weeks are difficult; they’re incompatible with fun. That’s Kahn’s brand of leadership - less inspirational poster, more locker-room austerity.
The subtext is also cultural. Bayern is a club that trades heavily on its Munich identity, and Oktoberfest is basically local mythology. Kahn borrows that icon and flips it into a warning, reminding teammates (and the media, and the fans) that the club’s public image can’t be allowed to override professional standards. There’s a quiet jab at complacency, too: success creates a party atmosphere; Kahn treats that atmosphere as a threat.
It works because it’s funny without being soft. The line laughs at the temptation while refusing it, and that tension is exactly how elite teams survive the weeks where trophies are won or seasons are ruined.
The intent is managerial even when Kahn was still a player: set the emotional thermostat in the room. By framing the upcoming schedule as something that makes celebration feel absurd, he’s turning fixture congestion and high-stakes matches into a moral argument. It’s not just that the next weeks are difficult; they’re incompatible with fun. That’s Kahn’s brand of leadership - less inspirational poster, more locker-room austerity.
The subtext is also cultural. Bayern is a club that trades heavily on its Munich identity, and Oktoberfest is basically local mythology. Kahn borrows that icon and flips it into a warning, reminding teammates (and the media, and the fans) that the club’s public image can’t be allowed to override professional standards. There’s a quiet jab at complacency, too: success creates a party atmosphere; Kahn treats that atmosphere as a threat.
It works because it’s funny without being soft. The line laughs at the temptation while refusing it, and that tension is exactly how elite teams survive the weeks where trophies are won or seasons are ruined.
Quote Details
| Topic | Training & Practice |
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