VfL Osnabrück has responded to the dramatic sporting decline by cutting personnel. The bottom of the 3rd league table not only fired sports director Philipp Kaufmann on Tuesday, but also released the entire coaching team around coach Pit Reimers. In addition, the DFB is investigating Kaufmann.
In addition to Reimers, who only took up the position at the end of September, assistant coaches Tim Danneberg and Heiko Flottmann were also relieved of their duties. This means that VfL is almost leaderless on a sporting level. For the time being, Alexander Ukrow, head of the youth department of the second division relegated team, has taken over the supervision of the third division team.
“4. Officials physically attacked”
The released businessman also faces hardship from the DFB. As the German Football Association announced on Tuesday evening, the DFB control committee has initiated an investigation against Kaufmann. According to a special report from referee Daniel Bartnitzki, he physically attacked fourth official Nico Dönges after the final whistle of the game in the 3rd league between Viktoria Köln and VfL Osnabrück (2-0) last Sunday evening. It was said that the managing director made loud statements to the referees during the half-time break. Kaufmann was asked to provide a written statement.
Kircher: “Red line clearly exceeded”
“A red line has been clearly crossed here. With all understanding for emotions and the pressure that exists in the clubs: The fact that a club official physically attacks someone from the referee team is shocking and completely unacceptable,” said DFB referee chief Knut Kircher. A managing director has “a clear role model function” and is jointly responsible “for fair and respectful treatment of referees.”
Kaufmann is no longer the managing director at VfL, who will welcome Rot-Weiss Essen to the basement duel in the stadium at Bremer Brücke on Sunday (4.30 p.m., in the live center on NDR.de) – then possibly with a new coach. Discussions with potential candidates are already being held, it said.
“We want to report enforcement here as quickly as possible, but at the same time we all have to be 100 percent convinced of this decision, which is why we are making it together on a broad basis,” explained Michael Welling, who, after Kaufmann’s dismissal, is now the same as before Obligation of the Swiss to be sole managing director again.
Points were the deciding factor for layoffs
After last Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Viktoria Köln, the eighth game without a win in a row, the VfL management saw no other choice than to declare a new beginning on a sporting level. “Humanly, such decisions are always painful and yet they must be made in view of the sporting free fall for the benefit of VfL Osnabrück if we are no longer convinced that we can stay in the league with the current personnel constellation,” explained club president Holger Elixmann The dismissal of the entire sporting management on behalf of the advisory board of the third division club. The committee had made the personnel decisions the day before.
“We have only collected 11 points after 17 match days, which is too little in all respects and simply unacceptable,” said the club boss. Now “the team is primarily responsible,” Elixmann continued.
VfL wants “consistent personnel realignment”
According to VfL, Kaufmann had already been informed that he would be leaving the Bremen Bridge on Monday. On Tuesday, Coach Reimers and assistant coaches Danneberg and Flottmann (who only returned to the “Purple-Whites” in mid-November) were informed of their exemptions. However, Reimers’ two assistants can still hope for continued employment with the third division club in another role, according to the Osnabrück team’s statement.
However, they will not be part of the new coaching team, as Elixmann emphasized: “Now we need a consistent personnel realignment in the licensed player area.”
Merchant with no luck Personnel decisions
Sports director Kaufmann only took over the position at VfL last March as the successor to Amir Shapourzadeh (now in office at league rivals FC Hansa Rostock). The Swiss had previously worked for FC Basel in his home country. The 30-year-old had no luck as sports director in Osnabrück. As the main person responsible for rebuilding personnel after relegation, he was unable to form a powerful team.
The engagement of coach Reimers, who was previously inexperienced in the professional field, as Uwe Koschinat’s successor also turned out to be a wrong decision. Under the former coach of Hamburger SV’s U21s, VfL only won one of nine matches.
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Current | 12/09/2024 | 7:00 p.m
