Fortuna Düsseldorf and Sporting Director Sven Mislintat are parting ways following the club’s relegation to the 3. Liga.
The traditional club announced this on Tuesday. Samir Arabi will succeed Mislintat, who had only taken over from Klaus Allofs in Düsseldorf in December. The 47-year-old worked for Arminia Bielefeld between 2011 and 2023, most recently holding the position of Sporting Managing Director there.
«As part of the internal and joint analysis, it became clear that there are different ideas regarding the strategic direction,» said Supervisory Board Chairman Björn Borgerding regarding the decision on Mislintat: «Therefore, we have jointly decided to end this path and have reached an amicable separation.»
«Fortuna was and is a matter close to my heart. But as sometimes happens in life, things develop differently than everyone would have wished,» said Mislintat: «The relegation and its consequences have hit us all brutally. We have processed this internally in recent days and also discussed what conclusions we need to draw from it.»
Fortuna Düsseldorf: ‘Absolute Clarity’ amidst Deep Chaos?
It was determined that «we have different views on the future direction of the club. That can happen – but then, for the sake of the club, one should openly discuss whether this constellation is really the best for Fortuna,» said the former Dortmund and Stuttgart official: «We have done that, without any personal sensitivities.»
A difficult project awaits Arabi in Düsseldorf, as only ten players have contracts for the third division after the relegation. «Despite the current situation, Fortuna Düsseldorf is a special club with a lot of passion and great fans. The discussions with those responsible quickly showed me that there is absolute clarity here about the path the club must now take,» said Arabi, who will be officially introduced on Friday: «The task is demanding, so it’s now about making the right decisions quickly.»