Curious protection clause in sports director Sven Mislintat’s contract?

Sven Mislintat apparently had an unusual clause anchored in his contract when the sports director of VfB Stuttgart extended it in December 2020. According to Sports picture the 48-year-old can unilaterally terminate his contract within 14 days if a decision that affects his area of ​​competence is made without his consent.

Accordingly, Mislintat is likely to leave the club if, for example, a new functionary or coach is dismissed or hired without his approval. In addition, his salary of the rumored 800,000 euros annually would be paid to him in such a scenario until the end of the contract in 2023. Mislintat had these powers assured at a time when a bitter power struggle was raging between the sports director and CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger and President Claus Vogt.

This is currently particularly explosive because Hitzlsperger will resign from his office in autumn 2022 at the latest and the Swabians are already looking for a successor. In addition to an external candidate – the Sports picture brings Christian Keller (currently managing director at Jahn Regensburg) into play – is it also possible that Mislintat is promoted to the sports director.

After Hitzlsperger’s announcement of his resignation, Mislintat held back with public announcements and wrote Instagram: “The decisive factor for consistently more successful football clubs is never who goes, but always who follows. First and foremost, it is about doing a top job for this club. That will be my aim – in whatever position.”

Meanwhile, Hitzlsperger made it clear that he wanted to work with full commitment for VfB until the end of his contract period, “as long as the supervisory board did not ask me any other request.”