After 20 years he’s calling it quits!
BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke (64) will be leaving the management of Borussia Dortmund in autumn 2025. He will not extend his contract, which expires at the end of 2025.
BVB writes in an ad hoc announcement: “Hans-Joachim Watzke, Chairman of the Management Board of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA, chaired the Presidential Committee of the Advisory Board of Borussia Dortmund Verwaltungs-GmbH under the chairmanship of President Dr. Reinhold Lunow has been informed that he will no longer be extending his managing director employment contract, which currently runs until the end of 2025, and will be resigning from the management in autumn 2025.”
Watzke would like to be relieved of overall responsibility for the sporting area by June 30, 2024 at the latest in order to be able to prepare for the smooth transition.
Watzke explains at the BVB training camp in Marbella: “My feeling has increased that the point has come where I say: At some point, enough is enough. The time period is the right one to make all the deductions from it.”
Further: “It was important to me that I could announce a self-determined exit from this position. I am very grateful to my club for giving me this opportunity over the years. I consider it a great privilege to have always felt the trust.”
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Watzke: “I want to focus on strategy and transition in the final year. The Presidential Committee asked me to hold discussions, develop ideas and present a concept regarding overall responsibility. I agreed to that.”
Watzke initially worked at BVB as treasurer in 2001 before being appointed managing director of the runner-up on February 15, 2005.
It is still unclear whether Watzke will take on another position at BVB from the end of 2025 and who will succeed him after his departure.
Together with the then president Reinhard Rauball (77) and financial director Thomas Treß (57), Watzke saved the club from bankruptcy in 2006 through a far-reaching restructuring of liabilities of around 120 million euros and turned the club into a top club in the following years developed in Europe.
Watzke experienced, among other things, the successful era under coach Jürgen Klopp (56) with two championship titles (2011, 2012), the cup victory in 2012 and the Champions League final in 2013.