In recent years, Arminia Bielefeld has celebrated great successes, including returning to the 2nd Bundesliga and reaching the DFB Cup final last year. By staying in the second division last week, the East Westphalians have also achieved their primary goal of being promoted in the 2025/2026 season. Head coach Mitch Kniat still has to go now.
This decision also came as quite a surprise to many Arminia Bielefeld supporters: The DSC and its previous head coach Mitch Kniat are going their separate ways after three years together.
As the club officially announced on Saturday, the collaboration was ended by mutual agreement after intensive discussions and a comprehensive analysis of the sporting future. The assistant coaches Dani Jara and Janik Steringer are also leaving the club.
Sports director Michael Mutzel acknowledged the 40-year-old’s successes in an official statement: “We would like to thank Mitch and his team for the work they have done over the past three years. They were very intensive and formative years in which we achieved a lot together and thrilled the city and the club with outstanding successes,” said Mutzel.
Ultimately, however, both sides came to different assessments of the long-term direction. “After several discussions and joint analysis, we also discussed the further development steps and realized that we are not the same when it comes to planning for the future,” Mutzel continued. That’s why they decided together to “end the collaboration with the positive end to the season and the success of staying in the league.”
Kniat “grateful for the time”
Kniat took over Arminia in the summer of 2023 during a difficult phase after the crash into the 3rd league. They managed to stay in the league in the first year before Bielefeld stormed back into the 2nd Bundesliga as champions in the 2024/2025 season. In total, Kniat was on the Arminia sidelines for 132 competitive games.
The outgoing coach looked back emotionally on his time at and with Arminia: “If you think back to the starting point of our work three years ago, then it is simply sensational what successes we have all been able to celebrate to date. I am grateful for this time and would like to thank all the employees, those responsible, the entire staff, our fans and of course my players. It was a pleasure and a special experience for me every day to work for this traditional club,” said Kniat.
It initially remained unclear who would be the successor to the promotion coach.