Wolfsburg officially sack Kovac

Niko Kovac’s termination as head-coach of VfL Wolfsburg has been officially confirmed. 

In line with rumors that began surfacing at the start of the weekend, VfL Wolfsburg have opted to part company with head-coach Niko Kovac. Germany’s green company team – following yesterday’s loss against Augsburg combined with FSV Mainz 05’s win over VfL Bochum – are separated from the relegation playoff place by just six points with eight match-days remaining. The Lower Saxon club confirmed that Kovac had been informed of his release last night.

The Augsburg defeat stretched Wolfsburg’s winless run to 11 straight league fixtures. Kovac was unable to lead the team to victory in ten league matches in the current calendar year. The VWers find themselves in their worst league position at this point in the season ever. Even during the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns – in which the club contested promotion/relegation playoffs both times – the team had a higher points total through 26 match-days.

“After the defeat against FC Augsburg, we came to the decision to end our collaboration following an internal review of the game and our overall situation,”  VfL Managing Director Marcel Schäfer noted in a club statement, “We regret the development and believe it is now necessary to give the team new impetus in order to stabilize the situation.”

“Of course, as head coach, I am particularly disappointed that we have not managed to turn things around despite promising beginnings,” Kovac was quoted in his own club released statement, “We [myself and my staff] wish the team, the entire club and its fans the very best for the rest of the season and for the future.”

Practically all of Kovac’s assistant coaches have been released along with him. No clear succession plan has been established by the club. In reporting on rumors surrounding Kovac yesterday, Germany’s Sport Bild tabloid touted Ralph Hasenhüttl, Matthias Jaissle, and Bo Svensson as potential replacements. Svensson helped Mainz avoid certain relegation during the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.

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