Rebbe named new PAOK Sporting Director
Olaf Rebbe is the new PAOK Sporting Director, the Thessaloniki-based organisation confirmed on Friday.
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PAOK released this following statement:
“PAOK FC announces that it has reached an agreement with Olaf Rebbe, who joins the club as Sporting Director.
“Olaf Rebbe was born on May 1, 1978 in Wieblingen, Germany and he entered the world of football from an early age. However, at the age of just 20, he saw his dream of a career as a player shattered by a serious injury and was forced to find another way to stay involved in his favorite sport.
“And so he focused on the organizational aspects in an effort to turn his misfortune into an advantage by looking to tomorrow and beyond. He became the president of Auetal and took it upon himself to run an entire club. At the same time, he never stopped aiming high.
“He later joined Borussia Dortmund, where he studied marketing and communication, going on to work with two other clubs during his internship. Specifically, Rebbe travelled to the United Kingdom and worked with Celtic and Arsenal, after which he returned to his homeland to join Werder Bremen.
“There he was essentially the right hand of the great Klaus Allofs, who was the general manager. Officially, Rebbe’s title was Marketing Director, but his responsibilities were purely about football.
“In 2006 he worked in an organizational role for the World Cup, and in 2012 he followed Allofs to Wolfsburg as his assistant. After three years there, he took over the duties of Football Director, while following the departure of Allofs in January 2017, he became the team’s Sporting Director.
“Although only 38 years old at the time, he created some great initiatives and dealings which reaped many benefits for the club, such as the transfer of Julian Draxler to Paris Saint-Germain for 40 million euros.
“He remained at Wolfsburg until the summer of 2018 with the team preserving its Bundesliga status in the playoffs with a goal from Adelino Vieirinha . After his departure, he immediately found employment at Huddersfield, where he remained until the beginning of 2019.
“A low-key executive, with clear goals and dreams, and with a specific philosophy, Rebbe arrives at the Dikefalos tou Vorra to take over the rebuilding of the team for the coming years.
“Welcome Olaf!”
Earlier in the day, PAOK had formally announced the departure of Mario Blanco, who had worked with the club as Technical Director:
“PAOK FC announces the end of its cooperation with Mario Blanco.
“PAOK would like to warmly thank the Portuguese for his services at the club as Technical Director for the previous two seasons and wishes him all the best in his future career endeavours.”
At the moment, PAOK are sitting in third position of the 2019/2020 Super League playoffs, trailing AEK only on head-to-head record. The top two places of the league grant a berth in the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
