Borussia Dortmund considered withdrawing from the Champions League following the bomb attack on the team bus, according to CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Three devices exploded close to the vehicle as it made its way to Signal Iduna Park for the quarter-final first leg with Monaco on Tuesday.
Watzke has now admitted that he thought about pulling the team out of the tournament, though he decided against that course of action as an act of defiance to the attacker or attackers.
"I briefly considered whether we should leave the competition completely," Watzke told Der Spiegel. "But then it would have been a victory for the perpetrators."
"If a player isn't able to play then he can tell the coach, and I also said that there would have been complete understanding and every form of support from us," he said.
Watzke has promised that Dortmund's squad will be offered counselling if they wish, adding: "The players have the opportunity to deal with the psychological side of the attack with experts and to get any help from us."
Three letters claiming responsibility were found at the scene of the crime and one individual said to have "Islamist links" was arrested this week.
"They did not want to hurt Borussia Dortmund explicitly. It was an attack on Germany," Watzke said.
