After Blessin-Aus
New beginning after relegation: New coach for St. Pauli
June 5, 2026 – 3:00 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
One day after Alexander Blessin was fired, FC St. Pauli hired a new coach. He has already achieved promotion with an outsider.
Marcel Rapp is the new coach at FC St Pauli. The 47-year-old is taking over from Alexander Blessin at the Bundesliga relegated team, as the club announced. The Hamburg team parted ways with this team on Thursday, almost three weeks after missing out on relegation.
Rapp was Holstein Kiel’s coach from 2021 to February 2026. He surprisingly led the Schleswig-Holstein club into the Bundesliga in 2024 and initially remained in office even after direct relegation. When there was a risk of falling into the 3rd league in the following season, the Kiel team parted ways with him.
Rapp: St. Pauli is an “exciting task”
“There is a very exciting task ahead at FC St. Pauli and I am keen to start preparing for the new season straight away. The club is ambitious and has continuously developed in recent years,” said Rapp.
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Those responsible were unable to agree on further cooperation with Blessin after the relegation. “Alex’s qualities as a coach are undisputed. However, after our analysis, we have come to the conclusion that a separation and a fresh start with full conviction is the right way to go this summer,” said sports director Andreas Bornemann. Blessin still had a contract at Millerntor until summer 2027.
Those responsible expect Rapp to provide new impetus for the desired reconstruction. “We are pleased that in Marcel Rapp we have gained a coach who has experience in German professional football and has already proven that he can both shape teams and develop players,” said Bornemann.
Team facing upheaval after relegation
A challenging task awaits the new coach. The squad is likely to change significantly before the coming second division season.
“For the 2nd Bundesliga, we will have to adjust our direction a bit again. Marcel absolutely convinced us in an open exchange with his ideas, ideas and a lot of drive,” said Bornemann with a view to the upcoming changes.