A domino suddenly disappears at BVB
Borussia Dortmund is stumbling through the first half of the Bundesliga season. After 13 match days, they are in fifth place. Only in the Champions League are things going well for BVB. Ahead of the round of 16 in the DFB Cup, the dismissal of the sports coordinator sheds light on the unrest surrounding the Westfalenstadion.
Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund has parted ways with sports coordinator Slaven Stanic after just a few months. The 49-year-old former second-division professional had only joined the Ruhr giants in May 2023. According to the club, the separation was amicable, but it was not a quiet one. The wind is getting rougher in Dortmund.
This was preceded by speculation about Stanic openly criticizing BVB coach Edin Terzić in a box at the Dortmund stadium. Sky and "Bild" reported that the then coordinator of sport not only criticized Terzić after the 0:0 in the Champions League against AC Milan, but also insulted him. The words are said to have reached the coach in a roundabout way.
The Stanic issue has then taken on a new dynamic in recent days. It has now culminated in the end of the collaboration, which the club announced in a brief statement just one day before the crucial DFB Cup round of 16 tie at VfB Stuttgart.
Kehl: "We are parting on good terms"
What was remarkable about Dortmund's announcement was the lack of any parting words from officials other than sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who is close to Stanic. "Slaven Stanic joined us in the summer with a large soccer network and a lot of experience in various areas of professional sport," said the former BVB captain, who succeeded Michael Zorc in his current position in the summer of 2021. "However, intensive talks over the past few days have led to us mutually deciding to go our separate ways from now on. We are parting on good terms and wish Slaven all the best for his personal and professional future."
Stanic said that after "the developments of the recent past", he was no longer "100 percent convinced" that he could use his skills and knowledge "profitably for Borussia Dortmund". He also said: "Integrity, respect and trust are very important to me. I wish Hans-Joachim Watzke, Sebastian Kehl, the coaching team, the squad and the entire BVB family all the best for the current season and for the future." Terzić's name was not mentioned.
Two camps at BVB? Kehl denies it
Reports about a possible split in the Dortmund management team have recently been made public. Two different camps are said to have faced each other at last season's near-champions. In essence, it is said to have been about a turf war between coach Terzić on the one hand and Kehl's team on the other. The important voices of managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke and advisor Matthias Sammer are attributed to Terzić's camp.
"I don't see any dissent between the two," BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke said in an interview with "Ruhr Nachrichten" at the weekend and then brought a possible mole into play: "The only thing that has bothered me is that a few internal things have become public in recent weeks." According to Watzke, this had not been the case at BVB in the past and would therefore be pursued further. Sports director Kehl also denied in an interview with "Kicker" that there are two camps: "That's nonsense. There is only one camp - and that is Borussia Dortmund."
Terzić constantly criticized
At the press conference ahead of the DFB Cup round of 16, BVB press spokesman Seven Westerschulze prevented questions about the relationship between the now former sporting coordinator and coach Terzić. He is under constant pressure anyway. Since the start of the season at the latest, his team has presented itself as an increasingly moody diva. One that can win away from home at Newcastle United or AC Milan in the Champions League on a good day and that is played to the wall by Bundesliga rivals with significantly lower personnel costs on a bad day.
As recently as Sunday, Borussia earned a point away from home against the team of the moment, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, but all the statistics showed a clearly inferior visiting team. Borussia had probably not only settled down because of Julian Ryerson's early lead and waited for the almost inevitable equalizer. After the game, Terzić criticized referee Daniel Siebert for not awarding a penalty after an alleged foul on Karim Adeyemi. It seemed like an attempt to distract from an uninspiring performance.
The Borussia Dortmund structure increasingly looks like a gigantic domino course - just before anyone touches the first stone. The question arises as to where Stanic's stone was placed and whether its removal can give the structure new stability. Because in the end, especially in Dortmund, all considerations always end up back at a starting point. This is based on an admission by club legend Adi Preissler. He once summed up the sport of soccer as follows: "All theory is gray in life - but the decisive factor is on the pitch."
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In light of the turmoil within Borussia Dortmund, Sebastian Kehl, the club's sporting director, expressed his support for the departure of sports coordinator Slaven Stanic. Stanic's critiques of coach Edin Terzic and subsequent dismissal have added to the tension within the soccer club, particularly as Terzic's team has underperformed in the Bundesliga.
After leaving Borussia Dortmund, Slaven Stanic acknowledged the importance of integrity, respect, and trust in any professional environment and wished the club and its members continued success. His departure marks yet another challenge for Coach Terzic, who is already dealing with the team's fluctuating performances in the soccer league this season.
Source: www.ntv.de
