Stoger announces departure from Borussia Dortmund

Now that the Bundesliga season is over, Borussia Dortmund's first order of business will be finding a new manager after Peter Stoger announced his departure following Saturday's loss to Hoffenheim.

Stoger's 19th match in charge ended with Hoffenheim winning 3-1 to leapfrog Dortmund in the Bundesliga table.

The Austrian manager revealed to reporters that he'd decided to leave during discussions with Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc, which took place well before the match.

"This was my last competitive match for BVB today. We had already made that joint decision some time ago," Stoger said, according to ESPN FC's Stefan Uersfeld. "In discussions with Michael Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke, which were always constructive talks, we decided after a short time that a new impulse is necessary and will help the club. And the easiest way to set a new impulse is with a new coach.

"I could have announced that decision many times, as I was frequently asked by everyone. But I'm an old-fashioned guy."

Despite the loss, Dortmund ended the season on somewhat of a high by barely securing a place in next season's Champions League on goal differential.

A week after being sacked by relegated FC Koln, Stoger took charge of Dortmund following Peter Bosz's dismissal in December when the club was in the middle of a two-month winless run.

Stoger signed a short-term contract until the end of the season and helped the club climb from eighth place into fourth. Speculation over his future persisted in the days and weeks after Dortmund got knocked out of the Champions League.

Nice manager Lucien Favre, who previously coached in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach, will reportedly succeed Stoger once the Ligue 1 season concludes.