There is chaos in the Hoffenheim management team. After the dismissals of the two managing directors Markus Schütz and Frank Briel, President Jörg Albrecht has resigned with immediate effect.
According to the club, Albrecht is quitting for “health reasons”; in the fall of 2024, the 57-year-old was diagnosed with an “incurable ALS disease.” The former mayor of Sinsheim was only elected first chairman in September last year.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is an irreversible degenerative disease of the motor nervous system that is ultimately fatal. Famous cases in sports include former Wolfsburg professional Krzysztof Nowak and baseball legend Lou Gehrig.
Albrecht reached “health limits”
“I regret that today I have to give up the position that I accepted and carried out with a lot of passion and commitment,” the 57-year-old is quoted as saying in the official statement.
“In the last few weeks, however, I have reached the limits of my health, not least because of the immense stress. Therefore, this step is logical and necessary, even if it is extremely difficult for me,” said Albrecht.
His tasks will be taken over by Christoph Henssler and Frank Engelhardt, who were previously second and third chairman. The TSG announced that a new board will be elected at an extraordinary general meeting in a few weeks.
Things had previously been simmering at Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg. Sports director Sebastian Schindzielorz was released there.
Internal disputes between the Hoffenheim bosses
Just last week, TSG announced that Markus Schütz (Chairman of the Management Board) and Chief Financial Officer Frank Briel would have to leave the club. According to media reports, the separation was said to be the result of internal disputes. This is about the house and stadium ban issued against the controversial match agent Roger Wittmann, a close friend of TSG shareholder Dietmar Hopp.
Schütz and Briel were considered the main initiators behind the imposition of the ban on Wittmann, who was accused of insults and threats against the management. He recently successfully counteracted the ban with an interim injunction and then showed up at the TSG stadium together with Hopp. Albrecht was also involved in the dispute with Wittmann and was legally proven to have insulted him.
Fan protests against player agents
Wittmann announced on Monday that it would take “comprehensive legal action” after a protest by fans last weekend. The focus is on the “wanted posters” distributed on Saturday during the game against RB Leipzig (3:1), which are now also circulating on the Internet. In the “wanted call” Wittmann was described as a “grandson trickster” due to his great influence on the now 85-year-old Hopp.
Meanwhile, sports director Andreas Schicker is apparently considering turning his back on TSG after just one year due to the ongoing disputes. Red Bull is said to be negotiating with the Austrian about a commitment to one of its clubs.
with Sports Information Service (SID)