Ex-Liverpool sporting director Schmadtke back at Hanover

Former Liverpool sporting director Jörg Schmadtke is returning to Hanover 96 as managing director for sport, the German second division club said on Wednesday.

Hanover said that Schmadtke will start on January 1 in succession of Marcus Mann, who moves on to Austria's Red Bull Salzburg.

Former Bundesliga goalkeeper Schmadtke was Liverpool sporting director from July 2023 until February 2024. He previously was part of the management at clubs including Cologne, Wolfsburg and Hanover.

His first Hanover term as sporting director and managing director for sport was 2009-2013. The team finished fourth in the Bundesliga in 2011.

Schmadtke, 61, now returns on a contract until 2029 and will oversee the first team and the club's academy. Hanover have been in the second tier since 2019 and are ranked fifth at the moment.

Hanover supervisory board chairman Martin Kind named Schmadtke "an expert with extensive experience" who will "shape the sporting future of Hanover 96.

"He stands for a structured approach, decisive leadership and, ultimately, successful work. He knows the club and the environment and will be able to quickly familiarise himself with all relevant issues," Kind said.