“Creaking and groaning”: Ricken admits tensions at BVB | OneFootball

After parting ways with Sebastian Kehl, BVB boss Lars Ricken has spoken openly for the first time about internal tensions. At the same time, he defended the club’s approach — and pushed back against sharp criticism.

At Borussia Dortmund, an open debate has broken out over the background to the split with Sebastian Kehl — and sporting managing director Lars Ricken has now publicly admitted for the first time that there were internal tensions.

Before the Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart (2:0), Ricken faced critical questions and confirmed that things had not always run smoothly at executive level. “We made no secret of the fact that there was occasional friction and tension in the executive ranks,” the 49-year-old explained. In doing so, he indirectly confirmed reports of differences between him and Kehl.

The split with the long-serving sporting director did not come as a complete surprise, but the timing sparked debate. Shortly after the match against HSV, the club drew a line under the situation and soon after presented Ole Book as his successor. Internally, this step was said to be the result of a process. “This was simply professional,” Ricken stressed, referring to the decision to part ways early.

Because of Kehl: Matthäus accuses BVB of “stalling tactics”

The situation became even more explosive because Dortmund had already contacted Book weeks before the split. The new sporting director confirmed those talks himself. Ricken defended the approach and made clear that it had initially only been preparation: “No, it was merely an exchange that took place at the end of January.”

Photo: IMAGO

The fact that Kehl knew nothing about it further fueled the criticism. TV pundit Lothar Matthäus spoke of possible “stalling tactics” and questioned whether a club legend had been treated appropriately. “If this happened behind Sebastian Kehl’s back, then it was not through the main exit,” Matthäus said.

Ricken strongly rejected that portrayal. He said the decision had been made jointly and that great importance had been placed on a respectful farewell. “We looked each other in the eye and came to the conclusion together that it was best to part ways,” said the BVB boss. At the same time, he left open what exactly the farewell would look like and made clear: “The door is open to him.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.