Steffen Karl

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Steffen Karl

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-1004-314, Mannschaftsfoto HFC Chemie.jpg

| caption = Karl (back row, second from right) with Hallescher FC in 1988

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1970|2|3}}

| birth_place = Hohenmölsen, East Germany

| height = 1.82 m

| position = Defensive midfielder

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Medizin Halle-Nietleben

| youthyears2 =

| youthclubs2 = Empor Halle

| youthyears3 = 1982–1987

| youthclubs3 = Hallescher FC

| years1 = 1987–1989

| clubs1 = Hallescher FC

| caps1 = 31

| goals1 = 2

| years2 = 1989–1990

| clubs2 = Stahl Hettstedt

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1990–1994

| clubs3 = Borussia Dortmund

| caps3 = 72

| goals3 = 2

| years4 = 1994

| clubs4 = → Manchester City (loan)

| caps4 = 6

| goals4 = 1

| years5 = 1994–1995

| clubs5 = FC Sion

| caps5 = 24

| goals5 = 5

| years6 = 1995–1998

| clubs6 = Hertha BSC

| caps6 = 90

| goals6 = 2

| years7 = 1998–2000

| clubs7 = FC St. Pauli

| caps7 = 31

| goals7 = 0

| years8 = 2000–2001

| clubs8 = Vålerenga

| caps8 = 10

| goals8 = 2

| years9 = 2001–2003

| clubs9 = Lokomotiv Sofia

| caps9 = 16

| goals9 = 1

| years10 = 2003–2005

| clubs10 = Chemnitzer FC

| caps10 = 51

| goals10 = 2

| nationalyears1 = 1991

| nationalteam1 = Germany U21

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Steffen Karl (born 3 February 1970) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

Football career

Born in Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt, Karl started his professional career in East Germany, representing Hallescher FC and modest BSG Stahl Hettstedt. In January 1990, he moved to the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, making his competition debut on 30 March, playing eight minutes in a 2–0 home win against SV Waldhof Mannheim.

Almost always a backup at Borussia during his four half-year spell (his best output consisted in 28 games in the 1991–92 season), Karl left the club in the 1994 summer, before the club's back-to-back league conquests; following a run-in with coach Ottmar Hitzfeld,{{cite web | url = http://www.cfc-fanpage.de/verein/portraet_karl.html | title = Nichts geht mehr, Steffen Karl! |trans-title=End of the line, Steffen Karl! | publisher = CFC | language = German | accessdate = 26 February 2012}} before this definitive release, he also played five months with Manchester City, on loan.

Karl played one year in Switzerland with FC Sion before returning to his country and representing Hertha BSC and FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga. In his second season at the former, he played 30 matches en route to promotion but never played again in his country's top division. In the following three years, he moved abroad again, playing for Vålerenga Fotball (one year) and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia (two). He became the first German to appear in the A PFG.{{cite web|author=Lelyov, Momchil|publisher=7sport.net|script-title=bg:"“А” група погледна към елита на Европа. За пръв път в първенството ще ритат холандец и испанец"|url=http://www.7sport.net/archive7ds/2006/07/20/footbg/d4393_12.htm|date=20 July 2006|access-date=16 October 2015|language=Bulgarian|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210213246/http://www.7sport.net/archive7ds/2006/07/20/footbg/d4393_12.htm|archive-date=10 December 2015}}

In 2003, 33-year-old Karl returned to Germany, playing with former East German sides. Two years later, while at Chemnitzer FC – he also represented VfB Fortuna Chemnitz until his final retirement in 2008 – he became the first player to be arrested in connection with Germany's match-fixing scandal, being suspected of helping manipulate the results of a May 2004 match between Chemnitz and SC Paderborn 07.{{cite web | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4342201.stm | title = Karl arrested in German scandal | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 11 March 2005 | accessdate = 26 February 2012}} He was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence for his role in the affair, and banned for eight months by the German Football Association.{{cite web | url = http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200512/24/eng20051224_230552.html | title = Footballer banned for eight months for match-fixing | publisher = People's Daily Online | date = 24 December 2005 | accessdate = 26 February 2012}}