Martin Kind defends himself against dismissal at Hannover 96

Nfter the completely unexpected dismissal of Martin Kind as managing director of second-division football club Hannover 96, speculation about the reasons for the spectacular separation from the 78-year-old club patriarch shot up, a legal mud battle is imminent. Because the ousted entrepreneur immediately initiated legal steps against his expulsion: “The effectiveness of the resolution on the dismissal of the managing director is being legally examined,” said a publication by Hannover 96 Management GmbH.

On Thursday, too, the board of directors of the parent association Hannover 96 eV was initially not ready to provide additional explanations about the surprising booting out of Kind. In a dry message, only “important reasons” were mentioned, and a decision would be made “promptly” about a new appointment to the management board, according to 96 President Sebastian Kramer. But now it has to be decided whether there were really important reasons that led to the separation. Because only then can the eV act on its own authority – even without the consent of the shareholders, to which the child still belongs.

The multi-million dollar entrepreneur Kind is said to have been accused of several unfortunate sporting decisions in the recent past. But the truth is also true: Without the financial investment Kinds, who has been the face of the club for a quarter of a century, the club would hardly be in professional football.