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Dynamo bang: Jürgen Wehlend will leave the club
A bang at Dynamo Dresden! SGD Managing Director Jürgen Wehlend (56) will not extend his contract, which runs until December 31, 2023.
Dresden – bang at Dynamo Dresden! SGD Managing Director Jürgen Wehlend (56) will not extend his contract, which runs until December 31, 2023.
Jürgen Wehlend (56) will only be working as commercial director for Dynamo Dresden this year. © Lutz Hentschel
The 56-year-old informed the supervisory board, as the club announced on Thursday.
“It is with great regret that the Supervisory Board of SGD accepted Jürgen Wehlend’s decision to leave Dynamo Dresden as Managing Director after his contract, which ran until the end of 2023, and to devote himself to new professional tasks,” says Jens Heinig, Chairman of the SGD Supervisory Board.
Wehlend explains: “I think it is important to inform the supervisory board of this personal decision at the beginning of the year, so that it can take this fact into account at an early stage when considering the future organization within the management and the SGD as a whole.”
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He says of his reasons: “I didn’t make my decision for health reasons, but for fundamental reasons. That’s why I decided not to extend my contract as commercial director in the current constellation.”
Dynamo Dresden: Jürgen Wehlend never found the support he needed from his surroundings
Jürgen Wehlend (56) is leaving Dynamo. © Lutz Hentschel
Wehlend took over the job in January 2021 after the club parted ways with managing director Michael Born (55) in September 2020.
As a native of Dresden, Wehlend set out to lead the club with the necessary proximity to the city in calm waters.
But it quickly became apparent that this would be difficult. Wehlend never really enjoyed support in the fan scene, on the contrary. Many of his actions have been harshly criticized. He survived the economically difficult Corona period with the club and is considered a precise, meticulous worker.
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He wasn’t the happiest of decisions when it came to some decisions. The decision to install the new club spokesman Ronny Zimmermann (31) led to a rift with long-time spokesman Henry Buschmann (39), whom Wehlend finally put on leave. After just one year, Dynamo and Zimmermann separated again.
The incidents since October last year weigh more heavily for the fans. Around the riot at the away game in Bayreuth, Wehlend not only publicly criticized the violent supporters, but also the honorary council, which in turn targeted the commercial director. In one matter, the two parties even communicated via lawyers.
Wehlend had on one Press conference, the body publicly criticized for the sluggish club exclusion procedures after the riots. The honorary council then asked the managing director to publicly correct the alleged untruths. Wehlend let this deadline pass without a word.
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Going their separate ways soon: Jürgen Wehlend (56, left) and Managing Director Sport Ralf Becker (52, right). © Lutz Hentschel
Before that there was a lot of trouble about the clothing, but Wehlend was not the decision-maker in this dispute. In the summer of 2021, Dynamo first appeared in the training camp in completely blue clothing, and there were also numerous items in the fan shop where the logo was colored in the same color as the item of clothing.
The club’s statutes stipulate that the club’s colors are black and yellow, but there is no basis in the statutes for certain items of clothing to correspond to these colours.
Wehlend criticizes the club structure, saying at the press conference after the Bayreuth events: “We finally have to deal with the fact that the structures are no longer up to date and do not meet the requirements of a professional club like Dynamo Dresden. We just have to state that.”
He is primarily concerned with reforming the structures that make professional work possible. A spin-off into a GmbH should not be an issue.
In July 2022, the shock in the fan scene was great when Dynamo first threw the lettering “Dresden” off the back of the shirt for an advertising space for Brandible. About a month later, the club gave in and found a solution with which both the lettering and that of the sponsor found space on the shirt.
In terms of health, Wehlend had a difficult time during his work. In March 2022, the 56-year-old suffered a severe heart attack, but returned to office after a short time.
But that was no reason for his decision, he emphasized in the club’s statement: “During the two-month winter break I had the necessary distance from day-to-day business and time to think about many things and my work as managing director of Dynamo Dresden. My health is back Very good. The extensive medical examinations at the end of 2022 confirmed this 100 percent. So there is no need to worry.”
Wehlend’s announcement falls in the middle of a phase in which the club would like to discuss how it will position itself in the future. Recently there were considerations to possibly install a third managing director, which will be done discussed the return of club icon Ralf Minge (62)..
Original version of February 9th 9:58 am, updated February 10th 11:35 am.
