Gensheimer demoted
German handball icon has to give up
April 3, 2026 – 6:56 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Uwe Gensheimer was supposed to lead the Rhein-Neckar Löwen back up as sporting director. But after less than two years he had to give up the role again.
The Rhein-Neckar Löwen have replaced Uwe Gensheimer as sporting director. The former captain of the German national team only took over the position in the summer of 2024 – immediately after the end of his professional career. Now he has been demoted.
As the Lions announced on Good Friday, Gensheimer should in future support and represent the handball Bundesliga club “particularly on issues such as internationalization, scouting networks and strategic club development.” Head coach Maik Machulla and his coaching team are temporarily responsible for squad planning.
Löwen managing director Holger Bachert explained: “Not every constellation works the way you imagine – that’s nothing unusual either. We discussed this together and came to the conclusion that we want to reposition ourselves.” Gensheimer is “the face of the lions”.
Gensheimer added that the weeks before the decision were “not easy”: “The Lions are a part of me. That was never in question. Now I’m looking forward to being able to move the Lions forward in this way.”
The Gensheimer, who was born in Mannheim, began his professional career in 2003 at the previous club SG Kronau/Östringen. With the exception of three years at Paris Saint-Germain (2016-2019), he played exclusively for Baden. As a player, he celebrated the championship with the Lions in 2016 and the cup victory in 2023. He played more than 200 games as a left winger for the German national handball team.
