Mainz appoint Urs Fischer as new head coach

Urs Fischer is announced as Mainz’s permanent head coach as Bundesliga’s bottom-placed club seek a turnaround.

Urs Fischer signed a contract with 1. FSV Mainz until 2028 as a permanent replacement for Bo Henriksen. The Swiss coach is a legendary figure at Union Berlin as he helped the club to a first-ever Bundesliga promotion before qualifying them for each of the three European competitions, including the Champions League.

Fischer’s assistant, Markus Hoffmann, and the video analyst Sebastian Podsiadly would also join him in Mainz as they start their job with a European assignment. The 05ers will face Lech Poznań away from home before Fischer’s first Bundesliga test against Bayern Munich.

“There are no easy tasks in football, but that’s exactly what makes our job interesting,” said Fischer in his first words as Mainz coach. “I have had convincing discussions with Christian Heidel and Niko Bungert, which ensured me that Mainz fits me overall.”

Mainz only picked up two points from their last nine Bundesliga games. Their only league win of the season came away at Augsburg in September. They lost for the ninth time in the Bundesliga on Friday when the interim coach Benjamin Hoffmann was in charge against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Mainz will present their new head coach to the public with a press conference on Monday.