News Focus
- Fortuna Düsseldorf will play in the 3. Liga next season after relegation
- Only seven or eight current players possess contracts valid for the third tier
- The club plans to reduce staff levels from 100 employees to around 60
- Sporting director Sven Mislintat and chairman Alexander Jobst will remain in their posts
- The city council has reduced the club’s stadium rent by fifty per cent to provide financial relief
Fortuna Düsseldorf’s relegation to the German third division has caused serious problems for the club. The team will compete in the 3. Liga next term following their drop from the second tier.
Reports from Sky Germany indicate that the squad faces major changes. Most members of the current team do not have agreements that cover the lower league. Just seven or eight players hold contracts that stay active in the third division. These include Elias Egouli, Satoshi Tanaka, Kilian Sauck, Jordi Paulina, Hamza Anhari, Anas Slimani, Sima Suso and Tim Oberdorf.
The financial difficulties extend beyond the playing staff. The club must make significant savings across all areas. Management intends to dismiss approximately forty employees. The total workforce will shrink from one hundred to roughly sixty people.
Despite the crisis, some senior figures have committed to staying. Sporting director Sven Mislintat and chairman Alexander Jobst will both remain. They aim to stabilise the organisation during this challenging period.
The manager also appears safe. Alexander Ende is expected to retain his position at the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Local authorities have offered crucial support. The city has cut the rent for Merkur-Spiel Arena by half. This reduction should help ease the club’s money worries as they prepare for life in the third tier.