The first thought was good, but the second had even more local color: “I thought I would buy you a fish sandwich for lunch,” said Stefan Kuntz, referring to his new colleagues in the office, “but it said – give it to them Better Franzbrötchen!” Kuntz was apparently unfamiliar with the cinnamon yeast pastry until now. The entire appearance of the new sports director at Hamburger SV on Thursday exuded something fresh and happy, which can only be good for HSV, which is so often state-supporting and self-absorbed.
Peppered with anecdotes, the 61-year-old introduced himself and immediately stated: “Yes, we will continue with Steffen Baumgart.” The current coach will also be the one for the 2024/25 season. Kuntz said, “I’m not going to come here and change everything. HSV has gained continuity and has appeared calm in recent years. It is unnecessary to turn everything around.” Kuntz then praised his predecessor Jonas Boldt, who had failed to achieve his goal of promotion five times in a row and was relieved of his duties on Tuesday.
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Kuntz has a contract until June 30, 2026, and expectations of the new sports director are high – he is expected to reach the Bundesliga in his second season as HSV manager at the latest. “We want to approach the new season with passion, emotions, ambition and a good division of labor. These are values that I bring here.”
“You’ll need them too”
The self-proclaimed “football romantic” highlighted the “extraordinary fan culture” at the traditional club and wandered through the decades of his work in professional football: “In Kaiserslautern I was able to get to know Fritz and Ottmar Walter, Werner Liebrich and Horst Eckel. At HSV then Uwe Seeler and Horst Hrubesch, who had my back at the DFB. What unites these legends is the positive concept of humility. I have this form of humility too.”
Kuntz seemed moved by himself, but quickly turned towards lightness: “When I had decided, I called Horst and said I needed you and your advice – you’ll be able to use it too,” he replied. Laughter in the hall. Kuntz can be trusted to find his own way of leadership that unites many and leaves only a few disappointed. A popular figure can only be good for the club alongside the enigmatically grumpy Baumgart. Regarding his chances of success and certainly in comparison with Boldt, Kuntz said: “Sometimes it’s a change of face and it works without the person doing much differently.”
The supervisory board also looked at Felix Magath, Jörg Schmadtke, Ralf Rangnick and Oliver Bierhoff. It couldn’t be more famous, which says a lot about how HSV sees itself shortly before its seventh year in the second division. The fact that he is not coming to the north as a revolutionary spoke in his favor in the eyes of the inspectors. Of course, Hrubesch will remain head of youth development, and sporting director Claus Costa will also keep his job. The fact that Kuntz last worked as a board member in Kaiserslautern in 2016 apparently did not speak against him – he achieved his greatest successes as coach of the German U-21 European champions in 2017 and 2021.
More defensive compactness without losing offensive power – that’s how HSV wants to appear in a second division season with “twelve teams that want to be promoted”. More young players from the junior ranks are to be promoted and strengthen a group that will not be a Steffen Baumgart squad or a Stefan Kuntz squad, but rather an “HSV squad”.
