By David Owen
March 12 – A man who had a hand in Canada’s recent Olympic men’s ice hockey gold medal is replacing Nicola Cortese as chairman of Southampton.
Ralph Krueger, a 54-year-old former West German ice hockey international who coached the Swiss national team for 13 years and has ties to the World Economic Forum, was unveiled on Wednesday as the new top man in the Saints’ boardroom. He had returned recently from Sochi, where he acted as a consultant to the Canadian men’s team that claimed a second-consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Katharina Liebherr, Southampton’s owner, said Krueger’s “experience as an expert in leadership, motivation and team-building” made him “ideally suited” for the chairman’s position.
“He has been a leading advisor and coach to senior management in large international corporations for the past 20 years,” Liebherr said.
“In addition, he has been an active member of the World Economic Forum since 2011.”
Krueger commented on the “positive soul” throughout the club, promising to build on it by “creating platforms of open communication both inside with the staff and outside with our fan base”.
Although there was “a solid foundation in place”, the club, he said, still had “tremendous untapped commercial potential”.
His appointment came as part of a broader strengthening of the club’s leadership that also saw Hans Hofstetter, described as an “internationally connected business lawyer”, and Gareth Rogers, currently interim chief executive, appointed to the board of the club’s holding company.
Liebherr made clear that she too would remain on the board, “with an active involvement”.
The acceptance of Cortese’s resignation in January had triggered speculation that the club, which has won widespread praise for the attractive and energetic style of play it has implemented in climbing to ninth-place in the Premier League table under manager Mauricio Pochettino, might be put up for sale.
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