After only eleven months, the Hertha boss resigns
Stand: 12.10.2021
After less than a year, Carsten Schmidt resigns as managing director at Hertha BSC
Source: pa / dpa / David Inderlied
Hertha BSC does not come to rest. Carsten Schmidt, the chairman of the management board, surprisingly ends his work at the “Big City Club”. The club confirms the separation, Schmidt explains his motives. Investor Windhorst also comments.
Dhe departure of the club boss Carsten Schmidt, who was brought in as a reformer, causes new unrest at Hertha BSC. A few minutes before the planned start of training on Tuesday, the “Tagesspiegel” reported that the managing director would leave the crisis-ridden Bundesliga club after less than a year. Personal reasons should be decisive, wrote the newspaper. The association confirmed the termination of the contract shortly afterwards.
“There are only indissoluble private reasons due to illness in my immediate family environment that prompted me to take this step. Working for Hertha BSC has always given me great pleasure ”, Schmidt was quoted in the message.
With the CEO, the head of the operational business jumps off, the tasks of the 58-year-old in the management, which was only restructured last year, are to be taken over by sports director Fredi Bobic and chief financial officer Ingo Schiller.
“I just spoke to Carsten Schmidt on the phone. We were both dismayed that things were being brought back to the public beforehand that were confidential. He spoke to me about his personal reasons for leaving Hertha, which I respect, ”said investor Lars Windhorst via Twitter. “I deeply regret his departure from Hertha BSC. He had big plans, as I know … “
Hertha lags behind claims
Schmidt only took up his position at Hertha on December 1, 2020. Before that, the manager worked for four years as head of the TV broadcaster Sky in Munich. Schmidt had come to the Spree as a new strong man, began his work at the side of the then sports director Michael Preetz and financial director Ingo Schiller. Schmidt was responsible for leading the trio.
Investor Windhorst, under whose influence the new structure was certainly created, was impressed by Schmidt’s appointment. “His vita and his competence fit very well with the new path that Hertha BSC has taken. He is a media and marketing professional. A football club also lives from its public appearance, ”said Windhorst at the time. However, it was precisely this public image that was repeatedly shaken during Schmidt’s tenure.
After a month of getting to know each other, the crisis at the self-proclaimed “Big City Club” came to a head at the end of January and Schmidt also got to know the darker side of the business. Both coach Bruno Labbadia and Preetz had to leave the club.
Pal Dardai took over as coach and kept Hertha in the Bundesliga. Schmidt recruited Fredi Bobic from Eintracht Frankfurt as the new head of sport, but sporting success is still a long way off. After seven games, Hertha is only 14th and coach Dardai in the criticism.
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