The crising second division club Fortuna Düsseldorf broke up with coach Daniel Thioune. His successor is Markus Beginning – and he starts immediately.
Actually, sports director Klaus Allofs wanted to go up with Thioune. But after only ten points from eight games, the chapter as a trainer of Fortuna Düsseldorf prematurely. The Rhinelanders confirmed this on Monday afternoon. The previous assistant coach Jan Hoepner and Manfred Stefes were also released.
Markus starts the coaching position with the second division club as the successor. With him they have “an excellent connoisseur of the 2nd Bundesliga”, who has already shown “that he can successfully lead teams,” said Düsseldorf’s sports director Klaus Allofs.
The beginning itself presented itself highly motivated on his inaugural PK, but also reserved. “I have already trained many traditional clubs, and maybe I magically put on such clubs. When the request came, I immediately had the feeling that this is the right one,” said the native of Cologne, who signed a contract until summer 2027. Thiune had previously said goodbye to the team. The training was pushed to the afternoon and already led by his successor.
At the beginning, predecessor Thioune praises
Daniel Thioune (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
The separation of Thioune, which still has a working paper by 2028, was not easy. “He took over the club in a difficult situation in February 2022 and led to the threshold for the Bundesliga and the semi-finals of the DFB Cup in 2024.
Beginning also spoke with great respect about Thioune. “Such a situation also has a flavor because a colleague that I appreciate is no longer in office,” said Begin. “He did a great job here,” said the 51-year-old.
In the end, Thioune had increasingly criticized. The 2: 3 on Friday evening against 1. FC Nürnberg was the third home defeat this season. However, the development has been worrying for a long time. Before the eleventh matchday of last season, the Fortuna was still the leaders. Of the 32 games since then she only won eleven, the point cut is 1.38.
Beginning Fortuna past
With Markus Beginning, someone is now taking over the helm with Fortuna past. At his active time, he was under contract twice with the Düsseldorfers – most recently in the regional league (2006 to 2008), previously in the Bundesliga (1995 to 1997). The 51-year-old brings his assistant Florian Junge. Another assistant coach will follow, the Fortuna announced on Monday.
His return to Düsseldorf was “emotional”, said at the beginning – even if the “Rheinstadion is no longer the Rhine Stadium”. He comes back “felt like it, but I’m here in a different position for the first time. I’m no longer player. I’m a coach here,” said beginning. And as such, he has a clear plan: “We first have to try to pick up the team where they are now, to stabilize and gradually give the boys to the plan, how we can shape the games to be successful again.” At the moment, the Rhinelander are only in 13th place in the table.
Most recently, the 1st FC Kaiserslautern trained at the beginning, but was released there two game days before the end of the past second division season in the middle of the promotion struggle and after three defeats in series. The Rhinelander celebrated his greatest success as a coach eight years ago when he rose to the 2nd league with Holstein Kiel. Subsequently, the beginning of the 1. FC Köln, Werder Bremen and Dynamo Dresden trained.
Our sources:
- Incoming press conference with Markus Beginning
- News agencies SID and dpa
- Press release from Fortuna Düsseldorf
