Managing director for sport Jonas Boldt's departure is reportedly a done deal, according to Neue Presse and Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.
Appointed only in July, Boldt now faces the sack after Hannover dropped to 16th place in the 2. Bundesliga table and went out of the cup against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Shareholders and representatives of the e.V. decided on Wednesday to part ways with him, according to the reports.
Before the second-round match against the Red Devils, internal unrest had already surfaced at the Lower Saxony club, according to Bild. There was talk of "serious doubts internally" about Boldt, while coach Sandro Wagner's position was also said to be under threat.
Relegation fears are growing at Hannover 96
Wagner took over at Hannover in mid-September from Christian Titz, who remained popular at least with the fans despite the sporting crisis, but has gone winless in four matches since. A 1-1 draw with FC St. Pauli is the only result Hannover have earned under the 38-year-old former Germany national team assistant coach. Otherwise, they have suffered some heavy defeats without scoring. The most painful came last Sunday in the derby against Eintracht Braunschweig (0-2).
Titz's dismissal and the lack of a new-manager bounce had already cost Boldt any goodwill among the 96 fans. Now the second-division club's sporting leadership are apparently turning against him too. Boldt's signings of Marcel Hartel, Emir Sahiti and goalkeeper Pascal Loretz have not convinced so far. A short holiday he took immediately before the derby is also said to have gone down badly with the supervisory board.
Hannover fear they could share the humiliating fate of Fortuna Düsseldorf last season and spend the rest of the season fighting to stay up rather than return to the Bundesliga. Club patron Martin Kind told Bild during the week: "We must not be relegated. Then I would have worked for 30 years for nothing. I cannot accept that."
Getty ImagesHannover 96: Will Sandro Wagner also be dismissed?
Boldt's dismissal could also put Wagner's job in jeopardy. Their fates appear closely linked. Despite the lack of results, Boldt publicly backed Wagner on NDR. "As long as I'm here, definitely," the manager said when asked whether he wanted to stick with Wagner.
With Boldt's departure apparently imminent, Wagner's position is likely to come under scrutiny too. The pair presented a united front during the crisis and, controversially, blamed Wagner's predecessor Titz and the chaotic conditions of last season.
"You can simply tell that this lightness is missing. That something broke to some extent last year," Wagner said recently after the derby defeat in Braunschweig. Boldt made a similar point: "The issue has basically existed since March: the club have won very few games and at times have been left without leadership. I came here and found a team with no self-confidence at all. We're working on that. We have to tackle it; it's a long road."
IMAGOChaos at Hannover 96: What happened?
Hannover had spent much of last season in the promotion race under Titz, but won only three of ten league matches from March onwards (one defeat, six draws). Elversberg, Schalke and Paderborn overtook them. The sporting crisis coincided with more upheaval in the club's leadership. After sporting director Marcus Mann left for RB Salzburg at the turn of the year, Jörg Schmadtke returned to take charge at Hannover, where he had previously worked from 2009 to 2013. Then, in March, he quit completely unexpectedly after just three months.
At the time, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Schmadtke and several other 96 professionals had been highly critical of Titz, then the coach, and that Schmadtke had planned to remove him. Schmadtke is also said to have had a fierce dispute with 96 shareholder Gregor Baum over his demand for an increased personnel budget.
Boldt quickly settled the Titz issue after arriving in Hannover. But his "trump card", Sandro Wagner, is again in danger of failing in an ambitious head-coach role outside the Regionalliga Bayern and Unterhaching. Wagner had left his successful role as assistant to Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann in summer 2025 to take his first head-coach job in the Bundesliga.
His time at FC Augsburg ended after just 14 competitive matches (0.93 points per game). With Boldt's departure apparently approaching, it is more doubtful than ever whether Wagner will reach that number of matches on the Hannover 96 touchline.
Next Sunday brings another potentially decisive home game for the Lower Saxony club against fellow strugglers Dynamo Dresden. Dynamo sit 15th, level with Hannover (8) on points and goals, but unlike 96 they gained fresh confidence during the week with a DFB Cup win over Bundesliga side Schalke 04.