Fortuna facing the next turning point: Mislintat leaves – Arabi as an option for the rebuild

After relegation to the 3rd division, Fortuna Düsseldorf must overcome not only a sporting but also a structural break. On May 26, the club officially confirmed that sporting director Sven Mislintat and Fortuna are parting ways "by mutual agreement." This means a key personnel decision comes at a time when the club must simultaneously organize a profound squad overhaul and moderate an ongoing labor dispute with the former coaching staff.

The separation had already been expected in the days before. Now, the decisive question is less whether the cut will come—it has happened—but rather how quickly Fortuna can reestablish reliable sporting leadership for the coming weeks.

Squad planning under time pressure – and without a central figurehead

After relegation, the window for action is tightly scheduled: the 3rd division starts in early August, and Fortuna must form a team in a short time that is immediately competitive. In an official statement on squad planning on May 19, the club emphasized that they are working "around the clock" and want to specifically create a competitive structure for the new league. In this context, it became public that only a small core of the squad is contracted for the 3rd division—and that the sporting management must make a large number of decisions in a short time.

Against this background, the separation from Mislintat appears as an additional risk factor: a rebuild of this magnitude requires clear priorities, quick coordination, and a person who brings together squad profiles, budget frameworks, and negotiation tactics. If this interface in leadership is lost or remains only provisionally filled for a longer period, the risk increases that transfers will be later, more expensive, or less suitable from a sporting perspective.

Samir Arabi in focus – but (so far) no personnel decision communicated

In the statement about the separation, Fortuna also made it clear that Samir Arabi could play a role in the club's future sporting direction. Arabi (47) was managing director of sport at Arminia Bielefeld from 2011 to 2023 and has had no fixed position since then. A signing would not only be a personnel change but also a signal of what kind of squad building and leadership style Fortuna is aiming for in the 3rd division.

For the club, the operational question is central: who will be responsible for the final squad decisions in the coming days—and with what mandate? Especially in the 3rd division, where timing with free agents, loan candidates, and short-term market opportunities often decides matters over weeks, an unclear hierarchy can have direct sporting consequences.

Legal dispute with Markus Anfang and assistant coach: legal side issue with internal impact

In addition to the sporting restructuring, a labor dispute continues. Markus Anfang and assistant coach Florian Junge have filed a lawsuit against their early dismissal. The Düsseldorf labor court confirmed receipt of the lawsuits on May 4; a conciliation hearing initially scheduled for June 5 was, according to sources close to the proceedings, canceled again. Anfang's legal counsel confirmed that they are contesting the dismissal.

For Fortuna, this is more than a side note: such proceedings tie up attention, can entail financial risks, and make it harder to achieve the desired stability internally—especially when key roles in sporting management are being reorganized anyway. The club therefore has to do two things at once: demonstrate the ability to act externally and create the foundations for an orderly rebuild internally.

A turning point at the wrong time – and now a stress test for the new structure

The separation from Sven Mislintat is the most striking step in an already turbulent post-relegation phase. In the coming weeks, Fortuna must prove that the sporting rebuild does not get stuck on personnel issues: with clear responsibilities, a reliable squad strategy, and the ability to contain legal legacies without losing sight of the season start. In the 3rd division, it will not be the loudest announcement that counts—but the speed with which open construction sites are turned back into a functioning operation.