Sports director Marcel Schäfer felt that the way coach Ole Werner was treated upon his dismissal in Leipzig was disrespectful. “The last few weeks—and we have to be self-critical here—were anything but ideal; they were simply bad. Period,” Schäfer said in an interview with “Bild.” Although he had already had “a lengthy, confidential conversation with Ole” during the team’s trip to South Africa, this was supposed to be continued with a review after his return from vacation.
“The fact that, in the meantime, so much played out in public for a variety of reasons was absolutely undignified toward both Ole as a person and as a coach. I’m truly very sorry about that. No question about it,” said the 42-year-old sporting director, who had already stood up for Werner during the season despite other strategic considerations by Jürgen Klopp’s global team. “And I believe it was absolutely the right decision to see the season through to the end with Ole,” he explained.
