The fuss surrounding former sports director Stefan Kuntz concerns the Hamburger SV team as well as the club. The allegations against Kuntz were also a key topic at head coach Merlin Polzin’s matchday press conference one day before the Bundesliga game on Tuesday (8.30 p.m./Sky) against Bayer Leverkusen. “Of course we talked about it and it’s somehow an issue in the team,” said Polzin. But they “didn’t explicitly address it again” now.
His motto and credo are also “that we focus on the things that we can influence: that is the work on the pitch, that is the work in the video room,” added the 35-year-old. As table 13th. HSV is in a relegation battle. In terms of sport, other topics are more important, especially after the bitter start to the year on Saturday at SC Freiburg (1:2).
Kuntz contradicts allegations
Kuntz surprisingly terminated his contract with HSV on December 31, 2025 after a year and a half. Officially, “family reasons” were cited for this sudden departure.
Last Sunday, “Bild” reported on allegations against the 63-year-old. The former national soccer player then contradicted the allegations on his official Instagram account that evening. “First of all, I would like to say that the allegations hit me hard. One thing is clear: I firmly reject these allegations!” the statement said. He further announced that he had called in his lawyers “for the benefit of my family and everyone close to me.” According to Kuntz, they should take action “against these FALSE accusations and prejudices”.
Supervisory Board takes a position
A day later, the supervisory board responded with a statement on the HSV homepage. The committee said Kuntz’s departure was related to allegations of misconduct by the 1996 European champions.
“In accordance with its responsibility, the Supervisory Board initiated the investigation into the incidents immediately after becoming aware of the allegations with the support of specialized external lawyers,” it said in a statement. The aim was then to achieve “a separation as quickly as possible”.
Back to sport: At HSV, midfielder Daniel Elfadli has to take a break in the duel against Leverkusen because he is suspended after his yellow-red card in Freiburg. Coach Polzin is also under special observation: after his third yellow card this season, he faces a ban if he receives another warning. Polzin justifies his previous protests by saying that he wanted to defend the team in situations that he felt were unfair – such as the short stoppage time against Wolfsburg, the yellow-red card against Cologne or the controversial Freiburg winning goal, which was preceded by an elbow strike. Nevertheless, Polzin emphasizes that he has his emotions under control and wants to improve in order to avoid further yellow cards and a suspension.
There is currently no threat of cancellation
But is it even possible to play given the weather conditions? The current status and great hope is that we can play,” said an HSV spokesman on Monday. “It is the case that for several days, literally day and night, various colleagues and external service providers have been trying to clear the stadium of ice and snow, which has also been very successful,” the spokesman added at the press conference before the game. People were still busy in the stadium on Monday preparing the stands for the game. Nevertheless, one has to monitor how the situation develops in the night from Monday to Tuesday. On Monday there were isolated problems with ice and slippery conditions in Hamburg.
Visitors to the game were encouraged to arrive early. Due to the amount of snow that has been cleared away, some parking spaces may not be available.
