Fortuna Düsseldorf have dismissed Sportvorstand Sven Mislintat following the club’s relegation to the 3. Liga, ending the 53-year-old’s tenure after just six months in the role. According to reports from Eurosport Germany, the decision was finalised on May 23, 2026, as the club prepares for life in the third tier under the leadership of former Arminia Bielefeld executive Samir Arabi. Mislintat, who succeeded Klaus Allofs in December 2025, presided over a collapse that leaves the club with only 10 players under contract for the upcoming season due to various release clauses and expiring deals.
Mislintat’s pattern of instability continues
The exit from Düsseldorf marks Mislintat’s fourth departure from a senior executive post in less than three years, further distancing him from the "Diamond Eye" reputation he built at Borussia Dortmund. As first reported by Fussballdaten, his mission to revitalise Fortuna lasted only 128 days longer than his ill-fated stint at Ajax, which ended in September 2023 amidst an investigation into transfer conduct. Although a KPMG audit later found no formal basis for liability, Ajax officials noted in a statement that his "working methods raised questions." His subsequent return to Dortmund as Technical Director lasted only nine months before he was fired in February 2025 following a reported power struggle with Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl.
Rebuilding from a contractual vacuum
The task facing Samir Arabi is significant given the scale of the squad's disintegration under Mislintat’s brief watch. While Mislintat told Eurosport he was "not the one who runs away when relegated," the club hierarchy opted for a fresh start to manage a wage bill that must now align with 3. Liga revenues. This parallels Mislintat's exit from Arsenal in 2019; speaking to The Independent following that departure, he noted a shift in influence, stating the "new leadership had their own agenda." At Düsseldorf, the immediate agenda is survival, as the club must now navigate the transfer market to replace nearly two-thirds of its first-team squad before the new campaign begins.
Arabi is expected to begin formal recruitment meetings this week to address the vacancies in the Düsseldorf squad.