So “more sensible” for Bobic
Friedrich is no longer Hertha’s sports director
03/07/2022, 21:57
At the weekend, Hertha BSC conceded a pack against Eintracht Frankfurt. The club is in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga. Former national player Arne Friedrich is now stepping down from his position as sports director earlier than planned – due to a lack of influence.
Arne Friedrich has resigned from his position as sports director at Bundesliga soccer team Hertha BSC ahead of schedule. The contract of the 42-year-old, who wanted to leave the club at the end of the season, was terminated, as the Berliners announced. “In an open discussion, we have now jointly determined that, with a view to planning for the coming season, it makes more sense to end the cooperation now,” said Sport Managing Director Fredi Bobic.
The former captain of the Berliners, who was hired by Jürgen Klinsmann as performance manager in 2019 and took over the position of sports director after the separation from manager Michael Preetz at the beginning of last year, saw his functions curtailed: “For various reasons, in the past However, over the past few months I have had the feeling that my influence on important sporting decisions is no longer sufficient to do justice to my duties as sporting director. We have therefore jointly decided to end the collaboration prematurely.”
Hertha in crisis
A year ago, Friedrich, together with the then coach Pal Dardai, had committed the team to staying up in the league. At the beginning of the year, the former national defender announced that his contract, which was due to expire in the summer, would not be extended.
Hertha is currently deep in crisis. The legendary Windhorst millions have long been spent, the squad is under construction and the last victory was months ago. The club is in the middle of the Bundesliga relegation battle and is currently in 16th place, which would mean relegation at the end of the season.