Schmidt leaves position as Mainz sporting director

Mainz 05 have confirmed that Martin Schmidt is leaving the position as the club's sporting director.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Bundesliga outfit announced that Schmidt has decided to step down from the role for personal reasons. 

“My personal life back home in Switzerland has changed at short notice due to an illness in my family, " explained Martin Schmidt, who will continue in a consultant role. 

"This therefore means that other things will become my priority and will require me to be there in person. As a result of this, I told Christian Heidel that I wanted to relinquish my operational responsibilities and work in a consultancy role behind the scenes instead.

"I’m really thankful that the club have placed their trust in me over the past years to work in various different roles. I would especially like to thank Christian Heidel, who has helped to shape me as a person and played a big role in my career too. He has now also supported me with this change. This is my club, and it will always have a special place in my heart. The things we’ve experienced together have shaped my life.” 

Niko Bungert takes over the role as sporting director, with Meikel Schönweitz named new technical director.