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Patron Dietmar Hopp enters the stadium's spectator box during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich at the PreZero Arena. Hopp has reacted with incomprehension to the possible demotion of managing director Andreas Schicker. Uwe Anspach/dpa
Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp has reacted with incomprehension to the possible demotion of managing director Andreas Schicker.
The Bundesliga team, bankrolled for years by the software magnate, are riding high in third and visit leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.
But boardroom wrangling has dominated of late and reports say
Schicker, who joined from Sturm Graz in October 2024, could be given a lesser role and therefore may leave.
"Through his outstanding work, a top team has been formed that excites me week after week and is perceived positively throughout German football," Hopp, 85, told Sunday's edition of the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung. "How can we risk the success of our club?"
Under the leadership of the 39-year-old Austrian, the team have "rediscovered the Hoffenheim DNA," Hopp added.
"The team is younger, the football has become more attractive and successful. In the medium term, revenues will rise, for example from TV contracts, but in the short term of course the potential for high transfer income is already increasing."
A flurry of departures from the club boardroom have coincided with
the appointment of interim club chairman Christoph Henssler, who comes from the ultras scene and is considered an opponent of Hopp. The billionaire has less of a say at Hoffenheim these days compared to previous times.
Reports say Henssler is considering downgrading Schicker's role.
The chaos in the background has even led coach Christian Ilzer, appointed by Schicker, to say he would consider his position if Schicker was undermined despite their current success of the field.
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