Werder Bremen and Klaus Allofs have extended their cooperation ahead of time, keeping the General Manager of Professional Football at the club until June 2009. Allofs joined the chairman of the Werder board at the Bremen Town Hall on Wednesday afternoon to sign his new contract.
"We are very happy that we could seal Klaus Allofs signature to tie him to the club. We have now set the field for the further success of the Klaus Allofs and Thomas Schaaf partnership", explained Willi Lemke before adding: "Names are part of the economic and sporting success of Werder Bremen - Klaus Allofs is one of them. The new contract is our way of proving our satisfaction with the situation." Lemke went on: "We don't live in some fantasy world, we are on the Weser. Fans and members can be assured that Werder will be anattractive and healthy club way past 2010 and 2020."
General manager Klaus Allofs said: "I'm happy, that after a few important personnel decisions - including the extension of Thomas Schaaf's contract - now my work with Werder Bremen can continue for the next few years."
Allofs commented on the continued contract talks: "Although it may not have appeared so on the outside, they were pretty unexcptional negotiations. The direction was clear quickly. The board made it quite clear that they were interested in continuing our work and I didn't have a problem with that", said the 49 year old ex Werder player who explained the pull of his tasks in Bremen "There isn't a more interesting job in Germany at the moment. We have achieved a lot with Werder but it is not at an end. We want to solidify our position at the top of German football and I want to be a part of that."
Concerning the rather unusual place for signing his contract the manager said: "I would have signed in a much smaller environment but I can really appreciate the breathtaking surroundings here - It makes me a bit proud too." Willi Lemke explained the reason for the choice of venue: "Werder have only been guests at the Town Hall on special occasions and this contract extension is one."
Klaus Allofs played actively for Werder Bremen from 1990 to 1993, playing 78 games and scoring 18 goals. He took over responsibilities in the professional football department in 1999, firstly as a board member and then as general manager after the foundation of Werder Bremen GmbH & Co. KG aA.