Eintracht Frankfurt director admits errors in Croatia property deal

Markus Krösche, the sports director of Eintracht Frankfurt, has acknowledged communication failures surrounding a property transaction in Croatia. However, he has denied any conflict of interest in the deal.

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In hindsight, more openness, especially towards the supervisory board, would certainly have been wiser. That was my mistake; I would handle it differently today.

Krösche explained that he acquired the land on a Croatian island as a private individual. He stated, "In hindsight, more openness, especially towards the supervisory board, would certainly have been wiser. That was my mistake; I would handle it differently today." The 45-year-old made these remarks in an interview with "Kicker," following reports about the transaction by "Bild am Sonntag" last weekend.

He further clarified that he purchased the property based on a tip from player agent Andy Bara. The seller was the previous owner, not Bara's wife, and the price was at market rate. Krösche noted that part of the land was a green area he could not acquire as a foreigner at the time, leading to Bara's wife purchasing it and granting him a right of first refusal. He asserted that all these details are transparently verifiable.

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The transfer of the three players and his property purchase had nothing to do with each other.

Krösche dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest arising from his collaboration with Bara in player acquisitions. He pointed out that since joining Eintracht in 2021, he has facilitated the transfers of three players and the former coach Albert Riera with Bara's involvement. Currently, Eintracht has no players under contract from Bara's agency, nor are any transfers in progress. He firmly stated, "To seriously infer a conflict of interest from all this is incomprehensible to me."

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To seriously infer a conflict of interest from all this is incomprehensible to me.

Eintracht Frankfurt had previously stated that Krösche retained the supervisory board's confidence. The club acknowledged that while Krösche had provided a comprehensive and transparent account, earlier information in 2022 would have been more appropriate. Krösche also rejected criticism from former coach Riera as unnecessary and unacceptable.

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A timely information to the then main committee in 2022 would have been useful and appropriate.