Markus Merk has resigned from his posts on the supervisory bodies of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. After two years on the supervisory and advisory boards, the former referee is retiring.
“Our common goal was to stabilise the club and create a foundation for positive sporting development. We have achieved these goals in the last 24 months despite the Corona pandemic. Today, I would like to announce that for personal reasons, I will be stepping down from my honorary position at 1. FC Kaiserslautern at the end of the year in order to be able to devote myself to other topics outside of FCK,” Merk announced in a statement.
The 59-year-old native of Kaiserslautern was elected to the supervisory board in December 2019. He also chaired the advisory board of the capital company of the professional division. During this time, FCK had successfully concluded insolvency proceedings and, thanks to the support of regional investors, secured match operations for the time being, even in the loss-making third division business.
The sporting success has calmed the situation
But time and again there were rumblings in the environment. Especially at the beginning of the year, when the club was in acute danger of relegation, Merk had to deal with accusations that he had bypassed the management in important decisions and interfered in the operational business. Only the sporting success with the rescue under coach Marco Antwerpen last season and the current sixth place has pushed the accusations into the background.
However, some members were still concerned about what was happening. At the annual general meeting last week, Merk’s role was once again the subject of intense discussion, but according to a lawyer’s report, he was not guilty of any “criminal or statutory violations”.
