Wilmots returns to Schalke - as sporting director

DPA
·1 min read
Belgian football manager Marc Wilmots shows the award for the 25th anniversary of the 1997 Uefa Cup victory. Fan favourite Marc Wilmots is returning to Schalke as sporting director, the German second division club said on Thursday. David Inderlied/dpa
Belgian football manager Marc Wilmots shows the award for the 25th anniversary of the 1997 Uefa Cup victory. Fan favourite Marc Wilmots is returning to Schalke as sporting director, the German second division club said on Thursday. David Inderlied/dpa
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Fan favourite Marc Wilmots is returning to Schalke as sporting director, the German second division club said on Thursday.

Belgian Wilmots played for Schalke for six years, winning the German Cup and the UEFA Cup in 1997. He was also their interim coach in 2003, and Belgium national team coach.

Schalke said that alongside Wilmots' appointment Andre Hechelmann was named technical director in their reshuffling of the sporting management after Peter Knäbel's departure as board member for sport.

“Schalke are a very special club to me, as I was able to celebrate several major honours as a player for the club. Now, I want to be at the forefront of helping direct growth, giving Schalke new strength and building a successful future," Wilmots said.

Schalke CEO Matthias Tillmann said: “In Marc Wilmots, we have been able to bring someone on board that is intimately acquainted with the business of football from several different perspectives and who knows what a successful dressing room looks like.”

Schalke were relegated from the Bundesliga in summer and now 14th in the second tier. They also face financial problems.