Bundesliga: Kuntz successor: HSV brings in FCB official Krüger

The change had recently begun. The 40-year-old is taking up the position that has been vacant for more than four months. At the turn of the year, the separation between the Hamburgers and Stefan Kuntz became known.

“With Kathleen Krüger, HSV is gaining a distinguished personality who has worked at the highest international level for many years at FC Bayern Munich. In 17 years, she has gained experience in the sometimes emotional environment of a top club, helped shape processes and demonstrated exceptional organizational and leadership skills,” said Hamburg Supervisory Board Chairman Michael Papenfuß: “She combines sporting competence, strategic thinking and a high level of communication skills and will have overall responsibility for the sporting area of ​​HSV in the future.”

Together with board member Eric Huwer, Krüger will help shape the club’s strategic development. “I am very happy about the trust. It is a real privilege to be able to play a decisive role in shaping Hamburger SV, one of the big names in German football, on a sporting level in the future,” said the 40-year-old: “I have followed the club’s positive development in recent years with great attention and great recognition for what it has recently achieved.”

Speculation about well-known people

Krüger will be the first woman in this role full-time in the Bundesliga. However, HSV already had a marketing director in Katja Kraus between 2003 and 2011, who also took on interim tasks as sports director in 2009 after the separation from Dietmar Beiersdorfer.

HSV had used a headhunting agency to search for Kuntz’s successor. Or better said: a successor. There was also speculation about well-known football officials such as Frankfurt’s Markus Krösche or ex-BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl. The majority of the club’s HSV supervisory board recently voted in favor of Krüger. Nothing was initially announced about the length of Krüger’s contract with HSV.

Huwer was most recently the sole board member

Krüger will be on the board of the northern German club together with Eric Huwer. The man responsible for finances at the Hanseatic League acted as the sole board member after the separation from Kuntz. “Basically, I’m always happy when we can win good personalities for HSV,” Huwer recently told the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the OMR digital trade fair in Hamburg. Krüger “also stands for enrichment in terms of content”.

Sports director Claus Costa and Sebastian Dirscherl, head of the scouting department, are primarily responsible for the composition of the squad and new additions. Costa and Krüger even know each other. They completed a DFB management course together. Costa was also brought into play as a candidate to succeed Kuntz.

Successful time at FCB

Krüger, who grew up on the northern outskirts of Munich, played for FCB women between 2004 and 2007. From 2010 she initially worked in the FCB office as assistant to the then sports director Christian Nerlinger. Between 2012 and 2024 she worked as a team manager for organizational matters relating to the top German club.

“She is the one who holds the team together. No matter what problems we can come to her with,” world champion and Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller once told Sport Bild.

During her time as team manager, Krüger worked with star coaches such as Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola and Hansi Flick and saw FCB celebrate eleven championship titles, two Champions League successes and five DFB Cup victories during this time.