Gerd Weber turns 70: "The lid has to be on at some point"

From celebrated soccer star to alleged state traitor: Gerd Weber experienced fame and abyss in the GDR, from Olympic gold to prison inmate. After 33 years in the GDR and 37 in West Germany, he wants to let bygones be bygones. "At some point, the lid has to come off. I am now looking forward. Every thought that goes back is a wasted thought. You can't do anything better anyway," Weber told the German Press Agency ahead of his 70th birthday, which he will celebrate on May 31.

The former state amateur will celebrate his special day on Sunday in a small family circle with his wife, daughter and son-in-law as well as his two grandchildren at a wellness hotel in the Black Forest. He is not a party animal - as one would say today. In addition to his 70th birthday, another big anniversary is coming up.

Almost half a century ago - on July 31, 1976 - Weber became Olympic champion in Montreal with the GDR national team, even though he was the youngest member of the squad and had to watch the final from the bench due to an injury. A few days later, the then 20-year-old collected his school-leaving certificate as a gold medal winner.

In view of his soccer career, the Dynamo Dresden player recorded 185 days of absence per year, which is why his school education dragged on. The young player received one-to-one tuition. "I was my own class. That was the best thing there was," says Weber and praises the school system of the GDR sports schools, which took care of the players' needs.

Stasi intervenes - Weber goes to prison

The pupils were able to concentrate on the sport and Weber rose to become a star player within a very short space of time. With Dresden, he became champion three times and won the FDGB Cup once. Weber made 35 appearances for the national team.

The Stasi prevented further appearances. Weber, who had himself been recruited as an unofficial collaborator in 1975, was arrested in January 1981 together with Peter Kotte and Matthias Müller shortly before boarding the plane for a tour of South America for attempted "unlawful border crossing".

Family as an anchor after release from prison

"For gross violation of the statutes" of the German Gymnastics and Sports Federation (DTSB) and the statutes of the German Football Association of the GDR, Weber is expelled from the DTSB, according to the East German fuwo of February 10, 1981.

Weber receives a prison sentence of two years and three months, of which he has to serve eleven months. "What this outstanding footballer could have achieved if his career had not ended far too early remains forever unclear," said Andreas Ritter, Dynamo president at the time, on Weber's 60th birthday.

He was banned from playing soccer, from attending Dynamo matches and also had to stop studying sport. "I had studied for five years. Now I was back to square one." His family gave him support, they were his "anchor when I got out of prison." Weber trained as a car mechanic and worked in the profession for seven years before escaping via Hungary in 1989 and settling in the Black Forest with his family.

Eliminating the European champion in the Olympic qualifiers

In the West, Weber began training as an industrial clerk and later became a motor vehicle expert. "I've done a lot of things right in my life," says Weber. In the depths of the Black Forest, he can move around freely and is not recognized.

The reservations about GDR soccer are great, says Weber, "but we were no worse than other nations back then." In 1974, the eventual world champions were defeated at the World Cup, and in the 1976 Olympic qualifiers, the GDR left Czechoslovakia behind, which won the European title in Belgrade on June 20.

"Our time was beautiful," says Weber, looking back to the past. In view of their advancing age, the remaining national team players want to meet up more often. They have already celebrated the 50th anniversary of their Olympic victory.