Second division soccer club FC St. Pauli wants to have the open coaching question clarified by January 2, 2023 at the latest when the training camp starts. According to information from the “Hamburger Abendblatt”, sports director Andreas Bornemann is said to have already met Florian Kohfeldt. His consulting agency “projekt b” only said: “No comment.”
The 40-year-old Kohfeldt was Werder Bremen’s coach from November 2017 to May 2021 and coached VfL Wolfsburg from October 2021 to May 2022. Other candidates named are Michael Wimmer, who last looked after Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on an interim basis, and the Swiss Thomas Stamm from third division club SC Freiburg II. Until a successor is found for Timo Schultz, who was on leave on Tuesday, assistant coach Fabian Hürzeler will lead the team. Hürzeler should give the team the first tools to free themselves from the predicament. Hamburg are currently in 15th place in the table with 17 points – tied with Arminia Bielefeld in the relegation rank and 1. FC Magdeburg in 17th place. Bottom light SV Sandhausen lurks just one point away from the Kiez-Club.
There is clear criticism of the separation from Schultz among the fans of the Hamburg club. Most see Bornemann as responsible for the unfortunate sporting situation. The sports director is accused of not having adequately compensated for the departures of key players Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (SC Freiburg) and Guido Burgstaller (Rapid Wien). However, the club points out that the decline had already begun in the second half of the previous season.
Club President Oke Göttlich said on Tuesday that action and hectic would not be taken at all. Hürzeler, head of sport Andreas Bornemann and the club management want and have to “make decisions” before the training camp, stressed Göttlich. In any case, experience would play a role. But whether that affects a new head coach or a new assistant coach will be “discussed together,” said the president. He left it open as to whether the ambitious and committed Hürzeler could become a permanent solution.
Hürzeler, who was born in Houston, Texas, has been with FC St. Pauli since August 2020. Previously, he was assistant coach for the German U18 and U20 national teams. Sports director Bornemann has a lot of confidence in the 29-year-old: “Fabian has already shown how valuable his expertise and consistency are for the team.”
In his semi-series analysis, Timo Schultz was still “rock-solid” convinced that he would be able to turn the tide for the better in the second half of the season. He emphasized in mid-November that he would only think about leaving if he had the feeling that he could no longer reach the team. This decision was made for him by the club management on Tuesday.
