As kicker reported exclusively, consultant Roger Wittmann recently tried to place a head coach of his choice at TSG. Meanwhile, the candidate’s name leaked out.
Nothing came of an engagement in Hoffenheim: Kenan Kocak.
imago images/Sven Simon
It was the first weekend in February when events at TSG Hoffenheim took a turn for the worse. On Saturday, TSG had lost disastrously 5-2 in the trend-setting basement duel at VfL Bochum. A game that was not only treated in public as a fate or final for the then Hoffenheim head coach André Breitenreiter.
That’s how it happened. Shortly thereafter, rumors circulated that the advisor Roger Wittmann, who was closely associated with Dietmar Hopp, was said to have tried to place a candidate of his choice over the main shareholder. This process was later confirmed by multiple sources, and the candidate’s name has now also been leaked. According to reports, the person chosen by Wittmann was Kenan Kocak.
The 42-year-old should therefore be placed as Breitenreiter’s successor. But things turned out differently, because at Hopp everyone in charge obviously spoke out against Kocak and unanimously for Pellegrino Matarazzo, who was finally committed. TSG had admitted several candidates at the time, without naming names.
Kocak is currently the assistant coach of the Turkey national team, led by head coach Stefan Kuntz. Before that, however, Kocak had already worked as a head coach, for example at Türkspor Mannheim, VfR Mannheim, Waldhof Mannheim or the second division teams SV Sandhausen and Hannover 96, where his contract was terminated prematurely in 2021. In September, Kocak joined Kuntz’s coaching staff.
Part of a memorable course
In 2016, Kocak had successfully completed his football teacher training. In addition to Julian Nagelsmann and Domenico Tedesco, his colleagues in this memorable course also included Pellegrino Matarazzo and his current assistant trainer Darius Scholtysik, who had also assisted at TSG with riders.
The connections between Hopp and his friend Wittmann have always been considered a political issue in the Kraichgau. There was already a discussion with TSG fans in 2012 because of criticism of the close relationship. But apparently the wires never really broke. Wittmann’s agency gave Hoffenheim various transfer hits such as Roberto Firmino, Joelinton, Nico Schulz or most recently Georginio Rutter, but also a number of flops, not least Bruno Nazario, Lucas Ribeiro, Felipe Pires or Guilherme Biteco, who were awarded umpteen times.
“Mini-Red-Bull”-Modell
It was only in 2020 that Hopp took over the Barra FC club, which was founded in 2013 by companies and people who are noticeably close to Wittmann’s agency, via a company in Brazil that is attributable to him. In the summer of 2021, Hopp also acquired a 51 percent stake in the Portuguese second division club Academico de Viseu, which directly signed several professionals advised by Rogon.
Apparently, a kind of “mini Red Bull” model is to be created on the Barra-Viseu-Hoffenheim axis, and the Paris suburban club AAS Sarcelles, with which TSG has had a partnership since May 2022, is also said to play a role here. Recently, the Hopp/Wittmann relationship caused criticism in the Hoffenheim supporter scene, which publicized the mood with banners and leaflets.
