Türkspor Dortmund, which competes in the German amateur league, the Bezirksliga, has appointed former German national footballer Kevin Grosskreutz as its new coach.

The club was founded by German citizens of Turkish origin and promotes Turkish and migrant players. It has been on a steady rise in the past two seasons, after securing two promotions to the upper leagues before eventually going to the top of the Bezirksliga. Grosskreutz will replace Turkish coach Bülent Kara, club officials announced amid criticism over picking a German replacement for Kara. Club president Akın Kara said it was a move to "push Türkspor forward in German football."

"We were looking for a more professional coach and our primary choice was a Turkish coach. We offered deals to prominent Turkish coaches but none accepted. So, we set our sights on Grosskreutz. He has a successful career as a professional player and gladly accepted our offer. I understand the criticism but we needed a change so we could move forward in line with our goals to reach the upper ranks [in the German leagues]," he said.