After crashing in the Bundesliga
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After eight Bundesliga games without a win and slipping to the bottom of the table, 1. FSV Mainz 05 has parted ways with coach Bo Henriksen. The Zero Fives announced this three days after the 4-0 defeat at SC Freiburg. The team will initially be looked after on an interim basis by U23 coach Benjamin Hoffmann.
Immediately after the severe bankruptcy in Freiburg, the Mainz club officials avoided making a clear commitment to Henriksen. Eleven out of 20 games of the season were lost under the Dane, only in the Conference League did the FSV present a passable picture.
Henriksen took over Mainz in February 2024 when the club was in acute relegation trouble. With him he managed to stay in the league. The 50-year-old sparked real euphoria last season. The FSV shook up the Bundesliga with successful power football and even got a taste of Champions League qualification. In the end it was enough to take part in the Conference League. In the new season, the core business of the Bundesliga only managed one win in the first twelve games; 18th place with six points is a negative record for Mainz at this point.
“Mainz 05 owes a lot to Bo Henriksen. He shook up the club and the entire city in an almost hopeless situation and, with his empathetic, passionate nature, led us to stay in the league and a year later even to the Conference League. Unfortunately, there are always developments in football that make a reorientation necessary for sporting reasons – although everyone involved worked with all their might until the end to find solutions. Together with Bo, we came to the realization that we are one “We have reached such a point, even if the separation is really painful. We wish him all the best. He certainly has his place in our hearts and history books and is always warmly welcome here,” said sports director Christian Heidel.
Henriksen, who scored an average of 1.46 points in 68 games, added: “Mainz 05 is a great club with lots of great people and great fans. We have achieved a lot together, I am totally grateful for the many experiences and the time we spent together. Thank you for the great support! Unfortunately, we were not able to play the same successful football this season, although we fought for it until the end. Unfortunately, that is football too. I wish the club and the team all the best from the bottom of my heart and thank you Fingers crossed for the next games and a successful season.”
The reasons for Henriksen’s departure from Mainz 05
There are several reasons for the failure: On the offensive, Mainz were unable to compensate for the departure of Jonathan Burkardt (25), who moved to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer. Top performers such as U21 vice-European champion Paul Nebel (23) have so far not come close to repeating the outstanding form of the previous season. In addition, the FSV made life difficult for itself. There have already been five expulsions this Bundesliga season, and Mainz are also in last place in the fairness table.
The gap in the Bundesliga rankings to relegation place 16 is two points and to 15th place is three points. After 17 seasons in the upper house, there is a risk of relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga again. The FSV wants to prevent this – without Henriksen.