Bremen manager Willi Lemke has died.
Great sorrow at Werder Bremen: Willi Lemke has passed away. The long-serving manager who led the Green-Whites to great successes in the 1980s and 1990s is being honored by Werder as one of the "greatest personalities in the history of German football."
A Bundesliga legend has left us: Wilfried "Willi" Lemke has died. The former manager and long-serving chairman of the supervisory board of Werder Bremen passed away on Monday at the age of 77 in Bremen. The club announced this on its official homepage.
Lemke shaped a successful era at the Bundesliga club after taking over the position of manager in 1981. Together with coach Otto Rehhagel, he made the Green-Whites a major rival of FC Bayern in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the German championships in 1988 and 1993. He also led the team to cup victories in 1991, 1994, and 1999. Before his time at Werder, Lemke had worked for several years as the managing director of the SPD state association of Bremen. After leaving his operational role at Werder in 1999, he returned to politics and remained a member of the supervisory board for many years.
"Shocked and deeply saddened"
"Willi Lemke is one of the greatest Werderans of all time. The news of his sudden death has shocked us and fills us with deep sadness," said Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, president and chairman of the supervisory board of Werder on the club's website. "Willi will be remembered as an innovative, combative, passionate, ambitious, and contentious personality. He was always human and approachable. Few people are as closely associated with Werder as Willi Lemke. His work - both within our club and beyond Bremen - was extraordinary and exemplary. He was a citizen of the world who always remained a Hanseatic. Our thoughts are with his family in these difficult times."
Klaus Filbry, chairman of the management board of Werder Bremen, added: "His unexpected and much too early death brings the SV Werder to a standstill for a time. Willi Lemke undoubtedly belongs to the greatest personalities in the history of German football."
The passing of Willi Lemke has left a void in the world of soccer. As a former manager and long-serving chairman of Werder Bremen, Lemke led the team to multiple championships and cup victories, making them a formidable force in German soccer during the 1980s and 1990s.
Despite stepping down from his operational role at Werder in 1999, Lemke's influence in soccer continued, with his name being mentioned among the "greatest personalities in the history of German football."
