Ex-national player Tarnat becomes sports managing director at Aue

Former international footballer Michael Tarnat is to become the new sporting director at third division club Erzgebirge Aue. The 56-year-old will take up his post on Monday as the successor to Matthias Heidrich, who was dismissed around three weeks ago, the club announced. Tarnat won the Champions League with FC Bayern in 2001 and was head of the youth training center after his active career with the Munich club and Hannover 96.

"We are delighted to have secured the services of Michael Tarnat, an equally experienced and ambitious expert, for our FC Erzgebirge Aue. He will receive all the support he needs from us to arrive as quickly as possible and to be able to make the right decisions for the future," sports director Jens Haustein was quoted as saying in the press release.

In addition to the management board and supervisory board, Steffen Ziffert was also involved in the personnel decision as an advisor, it said. Ziffert had been at the club's helm on an interim basis following the departure of Heidrich, but was not a candidate for the position that Tarnat will now take over.

"I would like to thank you for your trust, I am looking forward to my new role and would only like to comment in more detail once I have actually started work," said Tarnat. The former defender will be able to get a first impression of the relegation-threatened 16th-placed team in the 3rd division during a test match against 1. FC Union Berlin in Aue on Monday.