According to WDR information, the 1. FC Köln has found a successor for the released coach Gerhard Struber. Friedhelm Funkel should return to FC.
It is already Funkel’s third term among Cologne. From February 2002 to October 2003 and from April 2021 to June 2021, Funkel was sitting on the bank at FC. Three years ago, he saved FC as the successor to Markus Gisdol in the end of the season before leaving the Bundesliga.
Now the 71-year-old is supposed to lead the Cologne back to the Bundesliga. An official confirmation is still pending.
Funkel is Promotion record trainer
Funkel is an expert when it comes to climbing. He has been up to the Bundesliga with various clubs six times, as often as no other coach.
FC is currently in second place in the 2nd Bundesliga, three points in front of SV Elversberg on the relegation rank. From the past five games, the Cologne team only scored five points. Last Saturday it was only a 1-1 against the bottom of the table in Regensburg. The separation from coach Gerhard Struber and sports director Christian Keller followed late on Sunday evening.
Funkel had actually finished career
Funkel had actually declared his career after his last commitment in Cologne, but returned to the coaching bench at the 1st FC Kaiserslautern in February 2024 and led the Palatinate to relegation in the 2nd Bundesliga.
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