Third division team in crisis
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The struggling third division team FC Erzgebirge Aue and sports director Matthias Heidrich are going their separate ways. Head coach Jens Härtel, whose exit was recently speculated to be staying with the Saxons, as the FCE announced. According to the announcement, the board of directors and supervisory board initially decided to appoint a new assistant to Härtel, Lars Fuchs. The previous assistant coach Jörg Emmerich will be offered another position in the club. Heidrich did not want to support these decisions, the statement said.
“Since the relationship of trust between the board and the sports director no longer exists for further cooperation, the modalities for ending the cooperation will be discussed in the next few days,” the club continued. How and when the position of sports director will be filled has not yet been determined.
Aue only managed a 2-2 draw against Ingolstadt at the weekend despite being outnumbered for a long time. Before the game, the club’s board of directors is said to have demanded a win from Härtel. The Saxons are in a relegation zone after four games without a win.
The former professional Heidrich returned to Aue as sports director in 2022 and was promoted to sports director shortly afterwards. Emmerich, who also played for Aue for a long time, has been an assistant coach since 2023. According to media reports, Heidrich was criticized for unbalanced squad planning. Emmerich is said to have a strained relationship with Härtel.