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Berlin (AFP)
The former midfielder of Germany and Aston Villa, Thomas Hitzlsperger, was named Tuesday at the head of VfB Stuttgart, the Bundesliga's new sports director.
Aged 36, the first German international to be gay after his retirement in 2013, his predecessor Michael Reschke was sacked by the 3-0 defeat of Fortuna Duesseldorf on Sunday, leaving them without a win in their last six games.
"This is not a business without hope," said Hitzlsperger, head of the Stuttgart Academy and the club 's board of directors, during a press conference Tuesday.
"We have a lot of opportunities, we have to use them fully."
Hitzlsperger made the last of his 52 appearances for Germany in 2010 and nearly 100 appearances for Aston Villa between 2001 and 2005, he also played for West Ham, Lazio and Wolfsburg during his career.
He was part of the Stuttgart team that won the last Bundesliga title in 2007.
Hitzlsperger, who worked as an expert for the state broadcaster ARD, said his priority was to keep Stuttgart in touch with the team during the relegation match at 16th place and three points of safety.
"I will do everything in my power to focus our forces so that we can stay awake and at the same time prepare ourselves for a prosperous future," said Hitzlsperger, who will work closely with head coach Markus Weinzierl .
"The most important thing is to be there for the coach."
After signing a contract until 2022, Hitzlsperger has some work to do. Stuttgart, which has conceded 47 goals in the league, has the weakest defense of the Bundesliga this season and key players Mario Gomez, Christian Gentner and Holger Badstuber are out of shape.
"With Thomas, we are recruiting a specialist who is not only very competent, but always close to active football, but who also has the necessary leadership qualities," said Stuttgart President Wolfgang Dietrich.
© 2019 AFP
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