The Daily Bee (February 11th, 2020): BVB interested in Brugge-foward and Klinsmann’s surprising exit in Berlin

• DFB Cup

Borussia Dortmund are eliminated from the DFB Cup but the competition continues and two of the biggest remaining names have been drawn against each other in Schalke vs Bayern Munich. The only remaining lower tier side is 1.FC Saarbrücken from the Regionalliga Südwest (4th German league) and they will host Fortuna Düsseldorf in the quarterfinals.

• BVB eSport (kicker)

Borussia Dortmund does not currently have an eSport-team like other Bundesliga sides and there are no plans to change that in the near future. BVB’s marketing director Carsten Cramer has talked about the reasons behind that decision and how they are trying to reach gamers:

“I don’t think that every new sport has to be actively offered by Borussia Dortmund. We also don’t have a department for darts or basketball. We concentrate on our core business. [...] Of course we want to reach the people who play these games, so the authentic approach is important. With FIFA and activities like fan tournaments that we have now developed, it makes sense.”

Nevertheless, the door isn’t entirely closed for BVB’s participation in eSport in the future, just don’t expect a FIFA, Dota 2 or LoL team anytime soon:

“I can’t say how we’re going to develop over the next few years. If we realize that people want to do it, we won’t ignore it.”

• UEFA Youth League

BVB’s U19 will take on Derby County today in the Playoff round of the UEFA Youth League with a chance to reach the round of sixteen.

• BVB interested in Brugge-forward (HLN)

Dortmund continue to look for the next big star and are reportedly interested in FC Brugge striker Emmanuel Dennis. The Nigerian player can play as a winger on both sides of the pitch and as a striker and has impressed especially with his performances in the Champions League.

• Klinsmann quits...per Facebook message!

I’m following the Bundesliga for 20+ years now and at some point you think you have seen everything but every now and then something comes along that is truly surprising. This time it’s Jürgen Klinsmann quitting as Hertha BSC Berlin coach.

A coach quitting their job isn’t particularly special but the circumstances surrounding Klinsmann’s stint in Germany’s capital are very curious. The former USMNT-coach was hired as Hertha’s coach on November 11th 2019, shortly before the winter break and he gave several interviews talking about turning the club into one of Germany’s elite clubs with the backing of a new investor. During the winter break he went on to spend 76€ million on new players.

Now just 10 matches into his Hertha-career he has quit the club per Facebook-message without previously informing the club. As the reason for the sudden turn of events he states a “lack of backing” he has received from the people in charge. In addition, Klinsmann still wants to stay with the club in his position on the advisory board.

The club meanwhile released a statement claiming they were “surprised” by the events and have named Alexander Nouri (former Werder Bremen coach) the interim coach.