“Mistrust at BVB”: explosive details on Kehl’s exit | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund and Sebastian Kehl are parting ways – but the decision apparently did not come out of nowhere. A media report reveals new details of an internal “climate of mistrust” and months of tension within the club’s top management.

Sebastian Kehl’s departure from Borussia Dortmund came as a surprise to many – but according to a report by BILD, the split had been taking shape internally for quite some time. According to the report, the atmosphere among the Black and Yellows’ leadership had recently become strained.

The main source of tension was the relationship between Kehl and sporting managing director Lars Ricken. As BILD reports, a “climate of mistrust” developed between the two, which also became noticeable in their day-to-day work. There was reportedly a lack of coordination – in some cases, the two sides were not even aware of each other’s involvement in negotiations.

Kehl also increasingly came under criticism over substantive issues. Internally, according to the report, he was accused of failing to find creative solutions in the transfer market and instead focusing mainly on rising prices. Individual transfers, including the costly signing of Carney Chukwuemeka, were blamed on him – even though those decisions were apparently also backed by head coach Niko Kovac.

Power struggle at BVB: Kehl and Ricken battle for recognition

The situation was reportedly made even more explosive by a rivalry between Kehl and Ricken. Even when deals were successful, the focus was said to be less on shared success and more on personal recognition. Both sides allegedly claimed to have played the key role in the multimillion-euro sale of Jamie Gittens.

Photo: IMAGO

According to the report, managing director Carsten Cramer tried for months to mediate – but without lasting success. Instead, the situation continued to escalate, also due to Kehl’s public conduct. The fact that he repeatedly flirted with transfer rumors, such as moves to VfL Wolfsburg or Hamburger SV, apparently did not go down well with the club’s leadership.

The consequence: according to BILD, the separation had been in preparation for quite some time. The swift presentation of successor Ole Book just one day after Kehl’s departure underlines how concrete the plans already were. Club president Hans-Joachim Watzke is also said to have been informed early on without intervening. In the end, the split was apparently less a spontaneous decision than the result of a conflict that had been simmering for months within Dortmund’s leadership.

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