How to plan after the descent
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Sports director Sven Mislintat and Fortuna Düsseldorf are parting ways again after just five months. The 53-year-old’s contract with the relegated second division team was terminated by mutual consent. According to the “Rheinische Post” he will receive a severance payment of 200,000 euros. A successor, Samir Arabi, was also presented at the same time. The 47-year-old was already a candidate alongside Mislintat to succeed Klaus Allofs in the winter.
Mislintat only came to Düsseldorf in December. At the beginning of last week he spoke in detail in a media round about the plans after the fall to the 3rd league: “I’m not the one who will leave when the relegation occurs – on the contrary, then I’ll be there even more.” However, he will no longer be responsible for rebuilding the team. According to media reports, he failed again due to internal quarrels.
Mislintat is said to have recently felt thwarted and realized that his vision could not be implemented. From the club’s perspective, it was less the sporting reasons that played a role, but rather internal accusations. As the “Picture” writes, several people have complained about Mislintat since the relegation. He is said to have been offended, especially in the team and around the team. His unstructured nature was also a thorn in the side of many. He had previously ended his positions at Borussia Dortmund and Ajax Amsterdam because the sporting leadership was no longer right.
“Fortuna was and is a matter of the heart for me. But as is sometimes the case in life, things develop differently than everyone would have wished. The relegation and its effects hit us all brutally. We have been working through this internally in the last few days and also discussed what conclusions we have to draw from it. We discovered that we have different views on the future direction of the club,” explained Mislintat. “That can happen – but then, in the interests of the club, we should openly discuss whether this constellation is really the best for Fortuna. We did that, without any personal sensitivities. Because one thing is clear: in this situation, everyone has to pull together. Our fans deserve that, especially, who have given us incredible support in the last few weeks. A huge thank you again for that, that was extraordinary. I really wish Fortuna all the best from the bottom of my heart and hope that we can get promoted again quickly.”
Arabi follows Mislintat at Fortuna Düsseldorf
Mislintat’s successor Arabi worked successfully at Arminia Bielefeld for almost twelve years until March 2023, first as sporting director, then as sports director. He also started at the DSC when it fell into the 3rd league. After three promotions and one relegation, Bielefeld was back in the Bundesliga in 2020. When the direct drop back to the 3rd league was imminent in the 2022/23 season, Arabi vacated his place on his own for a new beginning.
“Despite the current situation, Fortuna Düsseldorf is a special club with a lot of passion and great fans. The conversations with those responsible showed me very quickly that there is absolute clarity about which path the club needs to take now. It was important to me to feel that it is not about short-term solutions, but about joint cooperation and a new beginning. The task is demanding, so it is now about making the right decisions quickly. We want to develop a team that embodies the mentality and identification with Fortuna. People have to feel that on and “We work and fight for this club off the pitch. I will invest everything in this together with everyone involved,” said Arabi.
Arabi will be holding internal discussions with the coaching team, team environment and employees in the coming days, the Düsseldorf-based company announced. For coach Alexander Ende, his involvement in Düsseldorf should have no consequences; according to “Bild”, the 46-year-old will remain in office. Arabi will only present himself and his ideas at a press conference on Friday.
“With Samir Arabi, we consciously chose someone who knows difficult situations as well as the 3rd league and can develop players and teams. During the discussions, it quickly became apparent that we see many topics similarly and have a common understanding of how we want to set up Fortuna again. The discussions were open, trusting and very clear. It helped that we as the supervisory board had a clear and professional personnel process in the winter and spoke to many strong personalities. After the relegation, it is now about: “We want to get a clear direction again and lead Fortuna back up as quickly as possible. We want to build a team at Fortuna that people can identify with and that works for this club,” explained the chairman of the supervisory board, Björn Borgerding.
CEO Jobst is extending his contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf
CEO Alexander Jobst, whose contract was extended early and regardless of the league, will help with the rebuilding. The supervisory board had already passed this resolution unanimously before the relegation. “Alexander Jobst is a crucial cornerstone for our path forward. He has recently proven in the difficult times how important reliable leadership is for this club. This is also reflected in the fact that the 3rd league scenario was prepared early on in the commercial areas and good solutions were found for the club. This was possible because Alexander Jobst has built up a lot of trust with partners, sponsors and within the city in recent years. This trust is now paying off and forms an important foundation for the tasks ahead. His early and clear Commitment to taking on responsibility in the 3rd league shows the identification with our club, which is what is important now. We are all responsible for this situation and must now overcome it together,” said Borgerding.
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Jobst added: “When things get tight, you don’t run away. When things go badly, you take responsibility. I have therefore signaled to the supervisory board that I am ready to tackle the 3rd league if the club wants it. Now it’s about making quick decisions and tackling the restart together. We have seen in the past few weeks what power Fortuna and the city can develop when we stand together. For this we need a strong team, a lot of courage and the clear will to get Fortuna back as quickly as possible “It won’t be easy to bring it into a league that is worthy of this club, but if you don’t believe in it, you shouldn’t even start.”
After going to the 3rd league, Borgerding also stated on record with a view to the overall situation at Fortuna: “The relegation continues to affect us all extremely and is still very painful even days later. We made mistakes this season – on the supervisory board as well as on the board. That’s why we started a ruthless analysis together with the board of how this development could come about. We face the criticism and take responsibility. At the same time, we are clearly looking ahead because Fortuna Düsseldorf now has stability, unity and a clear Leadership is needed.”
