Pep's favourite and 'soul of the team': HSV's Kathleen Krüger | OneFootball

According to media reports, the decision has been made: Kathleen Krüger is set to become HSV’s new board member for sport!

The 40-year-old will succeed Stefan Kuntz, who left his post at the turn of the year. Afterward, the Rothosen deliberately left the position vacant for the time being and took their time over a careful replacement process. Together with the agency Pedersen & Partners – represented by headhunter Henrik Mook – the supervisory board initiated a multi-layered selection process.

On Tuesday, the committee voted by majority in favor of Krüger, who prevailed over some high-profile competition. In recent months, various Bundesliga heavyweights such as Sebastian Kehl and Stefan Reuter had been linked with the role. According to the Hamburger Abendblatt, HSV had even made inquiries about Markus Krösche (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Fabian Wohlgemuth (VfB Stuttgart). But the Bayern executive impressed the supervisory board across the board and ultimately got the nod.

Kathleen Krüger: A Life Devoted to FC Bayern

But who is the woman set to take the helm at the Volkspark in the near future? Krüger, born in the Munich suburb of Eiching, was once a professional footballer herself. Between 2004 and 2009, she played for FC Bayern. Krüger has had a close bond with Germany’s record champions her entire life. In the early 1990s, she regularly attended home matches with her brother and father.

At 18, she then made the move to FCB herself. She spent a year playing for the reserve team before being promoted to the first team in 2004, where she made a total of 33 competitive appearances through 2009. The former midfielder ended her playing career at just 24 due to injuries. On top of that, the effort involved and the very limited financial return in women’s football at the time were simply out of proportion.

Photo: IMAGO

But Krüger remained loyal to the sport and began studying international management. At the same time, she took on organizational duties around Munich’s women’s team. When she was offered the job of assistant to then sporting director Christian Nerlinger in 2009, she dropped out of university after just one semester. She continued in that role under Matthias Sammer, who was appointed board member for sport in 2012 – even though a split had nearly happened.

According to a report by Sport Bild, Sammer questioned the importance of Krüger’s role when he took office and was even prepared to dismiss her. When coach Jupp Heynckes found out, he immediately went to club president Uli Hoeneß. “If Kathleen has to go, then I’m going too,” he is said to have made clear.

Bayern Stars Heap Praise on Krüger

Krüger therefore stayed in Munich and was later appointed team manager. Sammer seemed to have changed his mind completely in a very short time and made sure she moved closer to the squad. “He pulled me out of the office,” Krüger once explained on FC Bayern’s official club podcast. From then on, she was responsible for all organizational matters surrounding the team.

In this role, the rising executive quickly built up an excellent standing and was given more and more decision-making freedom over the years. She also never shied away from confrontation: under coach Carlo Ancelotti, rules at Säbener Straße were less strict. Assistant coach Giovanni Mauri even smoked on the training ground, prompting a clear telling-off from Krüger.

This balance between necessary strictness on the one hand and friendliness and empathy on the other made the executive almost indispensable for the serial champions and earned her great respect within the squad. So much so that she was reportedly the only person outside the playing squad to be part of the team’s internal WhatsApp group.

“She’s the one who keeps the team together,” Thomas Müller once said. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer credited the team manager with doing an “outstanding job.” Rafinha went even further, calling Krüger “the soul of the team.” She also built friendships with Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, and David Alaba. “There are players who just come into the office 30 minutes before training and then you also talk about private matters,” Krüger said in that podcast episode. “It feels like you’re on the same wavelength.”

Photo: IMAGO

Krüger was also on the same wavelength as star coach Pep Guardiola. After leaving for Manchester City, the Spaniard even wanted to lure his former colleague to northern England. Assistant coach Domenec Torrent also said: “You will always be in my heart.”

But Krüger stayed in Munich, where she has a permanent contract because of her importance. Her influence was particularly great under treble-winning coach Hansi Flick. In 2022, she was even awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit. “Kathleen Krüger impressively shows that women have become indispensable in supposedly male-dominated areas of society, and is therefore a true role model,” Minister-President Markus Söder said in explaining the decision.

Rumors About a Change of Role: Did Krüger Fall Out with Sané?

It was only in 2024, after twelve years, that she left her post as team manager. There is no definitive certainty about the key reasons for this change in role. As reported by tz among others, there was major criticism within the team and staff of Krüger’s leadership style. She was said to have a manner that was at times strict and distant, combined with a clear command tone.

Accordingly, some players were said to have had a particularly “difficult time” with her. One frequently cited example: Leroy Sané had to make his own way to the airport after arriving late, because Krüger had deliberately left him out of the team bus travel plans – apparently to send a clear message.

Since the 2024/25 season, the former footballer has headed a staff unit within the board division for sport at FC Bayern München AG as Senior Leading Expert Sport Strategy & Development, responsible for coordinating, evaluating, and optimizing all connections and synergies in the sporting area. In this role, Krüger was no longer responsible for the team itself, but for overarching club matters.

Among other things, she worked on the new training center project at Säbener Straße. According to Bild , Krüger also arranged school partnerships for the club’s youth players and supported campus director Jochen Sauer. She is also said to have had a good relationship with head coach Vincent Kompany and even been involved in transfers.

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Krüger Is Expected to Lead HSV Into the Future

HSV’s supervisory board was so impressed by this wide-ranging résumé that it believes the candidate is capable of taking on a top-level role. Alongside finance expert Eric Huwer, Krüger will therefore form HSV’s executive board in the future and will be more in the public spotlight than ever before. Because: the Bavarian has so far been notably reserved when it comes to interviews. When Sport Bild wanted to ask Manuel Neuer about Krüger’s role a few years ago, the goalkeeper first sought permission on whether he was allowed to speak publicly about her.

But major tasks are waiting at the Volkspark not only in terms of communication. In all likelihood, another sporting overhaul could be on the cards in the summer. Six loan players could return to their parent clubs, while the contracts of Ransford Königsdörffer, William Mikelbrencis, and Daniel Heuer Fernandes (at least in the event of relegation) are also due to expire. One helpful factor: Krüger and HSV sporting director Claus Costa, who will remain primarily responsible for building the squad, already know each other. The two completed the DFB’s manager training course together.

Photo: IMAGO

Exactly when the southern German will take up her post at HSV is still unclear. An official announcement of the partnership is, of course, also still pending. But the word on the street is more than clear that a die-hard Munich native will soon be steering affairs in the Hanseatic city.

By the way, Krüger is not HSV’s first female board member. Katja Kraus became the first woman in the Bundesliga to serve on a club board when she worked as board member for marketing from 2003 to 2011. After Dietmar Beiersdorfer’s departure, she even took over his role as board member for sport on an interim basis in 2009. That is the very role Krüger is now set to fill.

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