Dortmund's Ricken rules out departure of sporting director Kehl
Dortmund's sports director Sebastian Kehl sits on the players' bench during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund at PreZero Arena. Uwe Anspach/dpa
Borussia Dortmund managing director for sport Lars Ricken said that the departure of sporting director Sebastian Kehl after this season is not in discussion
"I made a lot of decisions in the winter and deliberately extended Sebastian Kehl's contract and made my position clear," Ricken told broadcasters Sky on Sunday.
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He added that the contract extension was a signal of Dortmund's trust in Kehl and that it didn't open any door for speculation over his departure.
Dortmund have had a difficult year and dismissed coach Nuri Sahin mid-season and signed Niko Kovac.
With two Bundesliga games left, however, they still have realistic chances of qualifying to the Champions League. They are fifth but one point behind Freiburg, who current sit in the last qualification spot.
Ricken, meanwhile, didn't clarify questions over the future of midfielder Julian Brandt, who has a contract until 2026 but has been linked to a move to Werder Bremen.
"We will talk about that after the season is over. No player has shared with us their wish to leave. We all agree that it's not Julian's best season, but he gets the absolute support from all of us," Ricken said.
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