The internal rival of sporting director Sebastian Kehl has been released with immediate effect, the Bundesliga club, which is also in crisis in sporting terms, announced. Managing director Lars Ricken "personally" conveyed this decision to Mislintat on Thursday.
Mislintat, former chief scout and head of professional football at BVB, returned to a new role in May 2024. He was supposed to assist Kehl but reportedly wanted more influence on transfers himself, which led to enormous tensions. Dortmund had recently extended Kehl's contract until 2027.
Kehl, in turn, had been groomed for years as the successor to club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, who will step down at the end of this year. However, Kehl was then passed over when it came to awarding the management position, and Ricken has been his superior since May last year.
For Dortmund, the separation should be a liberating blow, as there had recently been repeated unrest. Now the transfer planning is clearly back in Kehl's hands.
When extending his contract until 2027, the 44-year-old himself emphasised that "clear competencies and responsibilities" had been discussed. This was the first attempt to organise responsibilities.
The fans referred to the management chaos at the recent home match against Werder Bremen: 'Addressing the elephant in the room - the problems are not on the touchline', read a large banner from the Ultras. This was a clear reference to the 'elephant rounds', as the strategic management meetings are known internally.
Recently sacked head coach Nuri Sahin spoke of "sideshows" in his farewell speech.