At TSV 1860 Munich, a dispute between the lion shareholders threatens to break out again. In the meantime, it is not only about the successor to the dismissed coach Köllner, but also about the future of sports director Günther Gorenzel.
Since the Separation from longtime coach Michael Köllner Chaos reigns again at 1860 Munich. Köllner maintained a close relationship with the main shareholder and investor Hasan Ismaik. Despite the sporting crisis, the Ismaik camp was anything but happy about Köllner’s dismissal. On the investor side, Köllner’s future was linked to that of sports director Gorenzel.
Gorenzel as an interim coach so far without success
Instead of retiring after Köllner’s expulsion, Gorenzel chose a different path: the Austrian made himself interim coach. The 51-year-old justified the step with a lack of financial means to find a suitable successor. He is also the only one at TSV 1860 Munich who has the required coaching license. Gorenzel saw himself as the obvious, pragmatic solution to the lions’ plight. This step was welcomed by the eV representatives.
As an interim coach, however, he was unable to stop the sporting decline at TSV 1860 Munich. On the contrary: on the weekend the lions lost against the bottom of the table from SV Meppen. The experiment with Gorenzel as sports director and coach in personal union is considered to have failed after just two weeks.
The search for a coach develops into a power struggle
But also with that Search for a suitable successor Gorenzel is not making any progress on the coaching bench, although the head of sports claims that he has done his homework. Together with the commercial director Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer, he made all the preparations to find a suitable successor in terms of sport and business. There are problems elsewhere. “I can’t hit enter and start the famous call until I have economic clearance,” Gorenzel explained.
He lets it be known that the investors are not making the necessary funds available and are thus hindering his work. However, the investors reacted promptly in the form of Anthony Power – Hasan Ismaik’s Giesinger governor. Power quoted dancer Martha Graham in an Instagram story: “Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.” Which translates to something like, “Some people have thousands of reasons why they can’t do something they want to do, and all it takes is just one reason to be able to do it.”
The basic problem with the lions
Power does not address the sports director directly, but that he accuses sports director Gorenzel of making decisions is obvious. Just days before Köllner was thrown out, the lions had made it clear in a statement that “the management of TSV 1860 Munich alone, in particular the professional assessment of the sports director, decides on the structures of the professional team and the composition of the trainer and functional team.”
This reveals once again the basic problem of the shareholder structure of Sixty: Some claim the sporting decision-making authority for themselves, but are de facto powerless if the others do not release the necessary financial resources. If things don’t go well in sport, the lions will inevitably fight over decision-making powers. In the meantime it is also clear: the investor side around Hasan Ismaik urgently wants to get rid of sports director and interim coach Gorenzel.
Is the savior Benny Lauth coming?
No wonder, then, that Benny Lauth has been publicly traded as a potential successor to Günther Gorenzel for a few days. The 41-year-old Lauth is not only considered a club legend by the Löwen fans, investor Ismaik is also quite fond of the former national player. In addition, Lauth would be available at short notice. However, the lack of experience speaks against Lauth. After completing his studies in sports management, he has not previously worked in a managerial position.
Lion President Reisinger tried to catch the speculation about Lauth as a Gorenzel replacement. “The club will not rush into action and change management in haste,” explained Reisinger. He will not comment on names that are speculated about in the media.
However, it is also certain that the supervisory board meeting on Thursday (16.2.23) will not only be about the final successor to coach Köllner, but also about the future of sports director Günther Gorenzel and the question of whether the lions will open up internally agree on a solution without completely escalating the power struggle between the shareholders.
Source: BR24 02/17/2023 – 6:30 p.m
