German Football League names Hellmann, Leki as interim chiefs

BERLIN : Germany's soccer governing body Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) has named Axel Hellmann and Oliver Leki as interim chiefs, it said on Thursday, a day after announcing that CEO Donata Hopfen will resign from her post at the end of the year.

Hellmann, CEO of soccer club Eintracht Frankfurt, and Leki of FC Freiburg, will start immediately and remain in office on an interim basis until June 30, 2023, DFL said.

They will also retain their responsibilities at their respective clubs, DFL said. The DFL supervisory board will discuss leadership from July in the coming months, it added.

DFL had said on Wednesday that its supervisory board had decided outgoing CEO Hopfen "had different ideas about the future strategic direction of the company."

Hopfen's resignation comes amid delays to the sale of a $3.6 billion stake in the Bundesliga's media rights business.