Bremen part company with sporting director Eichin

The chairman of Werder Bremen's supervisory board, Marco Bode, announced the decision in a club statement on Thursday, saying that sporting director Thomas Eichin had left the club with immediate effect

"We would like to thank him for his work over the last three years. He has played an important role in stabilizing Werder during a difficult period. However, during our discussions regarding the club's future, we realised that there was a clash of ideas, which has prompted the decision to have someone else take on the responsibility in that department," Bode said.

The "clash of ideas" that Bode mentioned may refer to an internal power struggle at the Bundesliga club - which Eichin ultimately lost. Media reports suggest that Eichin had wanted to sackhead coach Viktor Skripnik, but that the former manager of the German ice hockey club Cologne Sharks was overruled by the supervisory board.

However, this doesn't necessarily mean that Skripnik's job is safe. During an afternoon press conference, Bode told reporters that the coach's fate would be decided by Eichin's successor as sporting director, Frank Baumann. The club's former captain is to take up his new post next week.

"I'm happy to take on responsibility at SV Werder once more. I have been able to take a step back in the past year and reflect on my work so far, but also gather ideas and educate myself," said the 40-year-old Baumann, who stepped down as Bremen's director of first-team football and scouting last summer in order to take a break from football.