WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Wolfsburg has fired its coach and sporting director after an eight-game winless streak in the Bundesliga sparked melees and angry scenes among fans.
Wolfsburg said on its website that head coach Daniel Bauer was sacked on Sunday morning, following Peter Christiansen’s dismissal the night before.
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Earlier, Wolfsburg lost 2-1 at home to Hamburg, leaving the Volkswagen-backed club deep in the relegation zone with nine games remaining.
Wolfsburg sporting director Pilmin Schwegler said of the decision to sack another coach this season: “We had hoped to turn things around together. Having analyzed the overall situation, we came to the conclusion that we needed to give the team new impetus to secure our place in the league.”
After the team’s poor start, Paul Simonis was fired in November and U-19 head coach Bauer initially took over on an interim basis.
Masked Wolfsburg fans reacted angrily to the latest defeat, throwing flares onto the pitch and sending black smoke billowing from behind one of the goals, while players scuffled with their Hamburg opponents on the pitch.
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Fans unfurled banners before the game to express their support for the players as this was the team’s last chance. Later, a banner appeared that read “Opportunity wasted, support withdrawn.”
Hundreds of Wolfsburg fans attended the team’s training session the day before to motivate the players.
Christiansen has been serving as general manager of sports since 2024.
“Together with our sports management he successfully managed the personnel changes in the women’s football team. Unfortunately, the sports performance of the men’s football team was not good,” Supervisory Board Chairman Sebastian Rudolf said of the 51-year-old Christiansen.
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Ball has held various roles at the club and academy since 2016.
The club said it will announce a new head coach “in the near future”.
Dieter Hecking is reportedly the favorite to return and try to lead the Volkswagen-backed club to safety.
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