Second division soccer team Hansa Rostock has hired a sports director, Amir Shapourzadeh. The club announced this on Wednesday. The former Hansa professional signed a contract until 2026.
The German-Iranian will start work after the last game of the season on Sunday against SC Paderborn (3:30 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter) and will then succeed Kristian Walter, from whom the Mecklenburg team recently parted ways.
Wehlend: “A football expert”
“With Amir Shapourzadeh we were able to sign a football specialist who meets our requirements profile. He has experience as a professional footballer, knows the second and third leagues in Germany very well and also has the necessary management experience,” said Hansa’s interim board Jürgen Wehlend.
“As a former Hansa player, he is also very familiar with the club, environment and city. This overall package as well as the very professional discussions in which Amir Shapourzadeh presented us with his ideas and concepts for FC Hansa were crucial for the collaboration.”
Shapourzadeh was a Hansa professional for four years
Shapourzadeh was sports director at northern rivals VfL Osnabrück until the beginning of February and most recently worked as a management consultant at Lower Saxony. The 41-year-old was under contract as a professional in Rostock between 2004 and 2008 and celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga with the “Kogge” in 2007. He played 16 first division and 38 second division games for Mecklenburg.
Hansa is fighting against relegation
It remains to be seen whether Shapourzadeh will take over from a second or third division team. For Rostock it’s about staying in the league against Paderborn. The penultimate team in the table can only jump to the relegation place with a home win. Should Wehen Wiesbaden win against newly promoted FC St. Pauli, Hansa’s relegation would be sealed.
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North Magazine | May 15, 2024 | 19:30 o’clock
