Borussia Dortmund has appointed Lars Ricken as the new Managing Director of Sports, taking on some of the responsibilities previously held by Hans-Joachim Watzke. The 47-year-old former German international will begin his role on May 1st and will have a contract that runs until June 30th, 2027.
Sven Mislintat will also be part of the new sporting leadership team, focusing on squad planning. Sebastian Kehl remains as the sports director.
Ricken was most recently the director of the youth performance center in Dortmund. CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke expressed his pleasure at Ricken joining as managing director for the sporting area. He expressed confidence that with Ricken and managing directors Thomas Treß and Carsten Cramer on board, Borussia Dortmund will maintain its top professional position in the future. Treß and Cramer have extended their contracts until June 30th, 2027.
Watzke announced that he will step down from management at his own request at the end of 2025. Until then, he will continue to oversee the business and corporate areas of human resources, communications, and strategy.
