FILE – Berlin’s sport manager Fredi Bobic prior to the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2021. Hertha Berlin fired sporting director Fredi Bobic after the team’s 2-0 loss to Union Berlin in the city derby on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
AP
BERLIN
Hertha Berlin fired its head of sport, Fredi Bobic, after the team lost to Union Berlin 2-0 in the city derby on Saturday.
“The presidium, together with the supervisory board of Hertha BSC e.V. decided unanimously to release its head of sport, Fredi Bobic, from his duties with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.
Hertha said it was going to hold a news conference on Sunday and gave no further details.
Bobic had been in charge since June 2021 and was responsible for signings and squad building. Lately, he had been overseeing more departures than arrivals as he sought to bring down expenses at the cash-strapped club.
Former backer Lars Windhorst invested 374 million euros ($408 million) since 2019 into Hertha, hoping to turn Hertha into a “big city club” on a par with Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, but Bobic said last year the money was gone.
Windhorst in November sold his 64.7% stake to Miami-based 777 Partners.
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