Pal Dardai should lead Hertha back to the first division Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
From BZ/dpa
According to a media report, Pal Dardai will remain the head coach of Hertha BSC and should lead the Berliners back into the Bundesliga.
As the “kicker” reported on Wednesday evening, the decision was made for Dardai. The 47-year-old returned to the coaching bench at the Berliners in mid-April as the successor to the hapless Sandro Schwarz. Dardai could no longer prevent relegation to the second division in the remaining six games of the season. Hertha, bottom of the table, had to leave the Bundesliga for the seventh time.
An immediate return to the first division seems difficult at the moment, as the financial difficulties mean that major cuts in the squad are necessary. It is also still unclear whether the German Football League will even issue a license for the second division.
The important deadline is June 21st. Until then, Hertha must clarify a bond repayment of 40 million euros due in autumn. If the DFL refuses the license, there is a risk of falling into the fourth-rate regional league.
Dardai had already looked after Hertha from 2015 to 2019 and from January to November 2021 and rescued twice in acute relegation distress. After his first leave of absence four years ago, the Berliners wanted to embark on a new path with investor Lars Windhorst and Jürgen Klinsmann as supervisory board members and short-term coaches, which ultimately led to no success.
Dardai is considered an integration figure in the club with a high level of sympathy among the fans. When he was introduced in April, he had said that he wanted to return to his heart club as head of the youth academy in the summer anyway.