Sports director Lutz Pfannenstiel leaves the Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf prematurely for private reasons at the end of the season. The club confirmed on Tuesday evening. The 46-year-old had asked the supervisory board to terminate the contract prematurely; the original contract ran until summer 2021. Pfannenstiel’s successor will be Uwe Klein, who is currently taking care of management planning and scouting, from June.
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“There are only private reasons that make it impossible for me to continue my contract with Fortuna beyond this season,” said Pfannenstiel. “The cooperation on the board, with the supervisory board and the sports department was and is very good, and I have always felt comfortable at Fortuna. Therefore, the decision that has been on my mind for some time has been very difficult for me.”
The former goalkeeper has never been uncontroversial in Düsseldorf since taking office in 2018. The club leadership had to take a lot of criticism, especially for the manner in which the trainer Friedhelm Funkel was on leave of absence at the end of January. Just three days before, Pfannenstiel said that the trainer was not up for debate.
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Under Funkel’s successor, Uwe Rösler, the Fortuna has not yet achieved a turnaround in the relegation battle.
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