Official: Köln name Christian Keller new sporting director
FC Köln announced that their search for a permanent sporting director had come to an end on Tuesday afternoon.
SSV Jahn Regensburg managing director Dr. Christian Keller will assume the post effective April 1st, 2022.
The 42-year-old executive just completed an eight-and-a-half year term at SSV Jahn Regensburg
SSV Jahn Regensburg managing director Dr. Christian Keller will assume the post effective April 1st, 2022.
The 42-year-old executive just completed an eight-and-a-half year term at SSV Jahn Regensburg
The 42-year-old Keller resigned his position with second-division side SSV Jahn Regensburg on October 12th. After receiving his doctorate from the Eberhard Karls University of sports management in Tübingen, Keller taught for some years before joining Regensburg in 2013. During his high-year-tenure with the club, he oversaw the rise of the Bavarians from the fourth-tier of German football all the way up to the 2. Bundesliga.
In a statement, Köln Vice President Eckhard Sauren said that the Effzeh had opted for Keller after "intensive talks" and noted that the new sporting director furnished an excellent long-term plan for taking the club forward.
"The FC board made an extraordinary effort to recruit me," Keller noted in his own statement, "I'm also impressed with their long-term strategic approach to actively shaping the future of 1. FC Köln."
In explaining why he would not take over the position until April, Keller said that he required a short break in order to be able to focus on the coming task with "100 percent commitment and engagement" following "eight and a half very intense years at Regensburg."
Der #effzeh hat einen neuen Geschäftsführer Sport: Christian Keller wird die Position zum 1. April 2022 übernehmen und im Team mit Thomas Kessler und Lukas Berg zusammenarbeiten.
— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) November 23, 2021
Herzlich Willkommen in der schönsten Stadt Deutschlands, Christian! 🔴⚪ https://t.co/XEEFllkRMS
