The troubled times at Hannover 96 continue. Martin Kind can now remain managing director for the time being.
The dispute at the second division club Hannover 96 goes into the next round: Thanks to a decision by the district court in Hanover, Martin Kind is allowed to continue working as managing director until the date of a hearing. An injunction regulates that Kind may continue normal and urgent business of Management GmbH until the hearing on August 16, as the district court confirmed on Monday to the dpa request. This had previously been announced by the club’s professional football KGaA.
The majority shareholder, Kind, was surprisingly dismissed as managing director of Hannover 96 Management GmbH last week. Kind does not consider the dismissal to be lawful and challenges it legally. Since then, the relationship between the parent club on the one hand and Kind’s professional football division on the other has become increasingly strained.
Professional division denies allegations
At 96 there is a complicated structure of multiple companies. Kind is the majority shareholder of Hannover 96 Sales&Service GmbH & Co. KG, which owns 100 percent of the professional football association KGaA. However, since the 50+1 rule in Germany stipulates that the parent association must always have the majority of votes in an outsourced corporation, the managing directors of the KGaA are appointed by Hannover 96 Management GmbH. It is 100 percent owned by the parent club.
Following allegations of breach of contract against Kind, the club’s professional football arm has denied the parent club’s allegations. “Further legal processing of the assertions made and at the same time discrediting Mr. Martin Kind will take place at a legal level, with all the associated consequences, in order to avert further damage and dangers from Hannover 96,” said the professional football KGaA.