Only a football miracle can save Arminia Bielefeld from falling into the third division. A relegation would have drastic economic and personnel consequences.
After the disastrous appearance in the relegation first leg at SV Wehen Wiesbaden and the chaotic incidents in this game stands Arminia Bielefeld in front of a pile of shards. Even the boldest Arminen optimists no longer believe that the 0:4 in the second leg on Tuesday (06.06.2023, 8.45 p.m.) could still be made up.
“We have to set ourselves the goal of winning both halves. We want to take some form of honor back for ourselves. I don’t want to walk around with the isolated goal that we’re going to turn the thing around,” said coach Uwe Koschinat on Monday.
Bielefeld denies the relegation second leg after the riots in the first leg with the slogan “Fairplay” on the shirt. “I have absolutely no expectation that the fans will support us unreservedly, not after this season. We have to win that back. It will be a very hard piece of work, but we have to face it,” said Koschinat.
Massive budget cut
What is certain is that Bielefeld will face severe financial cuts when going into the 3rd division. According to unofficial information, the total budget in the second division was 16 million euros. Mainly because of the lack of media revenue, the financial expenses for the professional team should be reduced to an estimated sum of six to seven million euros in the 3rd division.
This means that the DSC should still be one of the well-positioned clubs in the 3rd division and will not be able to avoid tackling the goal of promotion.
Due to the economic cuts, a major change in personnel is unavoidable. As the New Westphalian reported, the bulk of the squad has no valid contracts in the event of relegation.
Uncertain future of top performers
Top performers such as Robin Hack, Masaya Okugawa, Bryan Lasme, Andrés Andrade and Guilherme Ramos are very likely to leave the club. However, these players will probably have no problem finding new clubs.
The professionals Manuel Prietl, Martin Fraisl, Oliver Hüsing and Bastian Oczipka, who have good second division contracts, will also have no future at Arminia due to their high salaries.
It is questionable how things will continue with club legend Fabian Klos. The striker had explained in a first reaction after the first leg: “This is my club. I can’t resign like this.” However, it is currently unclear whether this will also mean continued employment as a player. But it would be possible to build a new team around Fabian Klos.
What happens to Klos and Koschinat?
It is also conceivable that coach Koschinat will continue his work at the club and take charge of the rebuilding. Koschinat knows the 3rd division from his time as coach of 1. FC Saarbrücken. “There have not yet been any talks with me about a third division scenario. Everyone knows that I did this with a lot of passion. But the focus should be on tomorrow’s game,” said the coach.
Who would Koschinat then surely have at his disposal? Not clear. According to the New Westphalian Christopher Schepp, who came to Bielefeld from northern regional league BW Lohne in January, would be tied to Arminia in the event of relegation. The recently loaned out Sebastian Müller (Hallescher FC) and Vladislav Cherny (SC Wiedenbrück) still have contracts with Arminia.
Either way, the upheaval will be enormous. It is also still unclear who will ultimately control this. After the separation from Samir Arabi, the post of sports director at the traditional club from East Westphalia is currently vacant. Arminia has the disadvantage that coveted players from the 3rd division and the regional leagues are already being transferred.
