Robin Dutt to take over as sports director of German football

Indian-origin football manager Robin Dutt will be taking over as the sports director of the German football federation (DFB).

Dutt's father Sabyasachi told IANS in an email from Germany that the 47-year-old, who was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen in April, has been appointed as the sports director of Deutsche Fussball Bund (DFB).

"My son Robin has been appointed by DFB as sports director and also belongs to the team management," Sabyasachi wrote in his email.

Dutt will be replacing former German international Matthias Sammer, who stepped down as the sporting director DFB to move to Bayern Munich.

Born to an Indian father and a German mother, Dutt came into the limelight when he was appointed as the coach of top Bundesliga club Leverkusen, replacing Bayern Munich bound Jupp Heynckes, in June 2011.

However, he was sacked April 1 after a 1-7 away defeat to FC Barcelona in the Round of 16 UEFA Champions League match and four consecutive Bundesliga defeats that left the club in sixth position in the league.

Dutt is the second Indian after Allahabad-born Sunil Gulati to be at the helm of affairs in international football.

Gulati, a professor of economics at Columbia University, is the president of United States Soccer and has been an influential figure in American soccer in the last 30 years.