Marc Unterberger seems to have made good use of his involuntary break in every respect. He has almost completed his license to become a professional coach, and on the Sunday before Christmas he watched the game between TSV 1860 Munich and SC Verl in the stadium. According to his own statement, he tried to gain some distance from his last, turbulent days at SpVgg Unterhaching, where he was released at the beginning of December. But the turbulent days in the suburbs are by no means over. According to SZ information, Sven Bender, Unterberger’s successor at the third division club, which is in serious danger of relegation, is about to leave again. The club doesn’t want to confirm this yet, but when asked, President Manfred Schwabl at least makes it clear that the coaching question in the suburb is open. He left the question of whether he is already negotiating with other coaching candidates unanswered. According to SZ information, talks with a prominent successor have already progressed quite far, namely with the former FC Bayern coach Felix Magath.
Why there is suddenly no peace in the cozy sports park seems quite clear at first glance, because the reasons were already known when Unterberger had to leave: Sven Bender does not have the permission to be a coach in the third league, the license that which Unterberger has just acquired. Unterberger, on the other hand, had to incur all sorts of fines because he had also become a head coach before taking part in the course. “But with Sven it’s a completely different situation,” says Schwabl now. The fines for Bender would be much longer, and at a time of extreme financial hardship.
On top of that, it is quite possible that you will feel like you are being shown off by the Hachingers at the German Football Association; President Schwabl had repeatedly explained that a training association also had to train trainers and that the association should not put any obstacles in the way. The DFB allowed the “Lex Haching”, which never officially existed, but Unterberger didn’t cost the club much more in salary than a third division coach would anyway. Just so that the trained trainer is dropped just at the end of his training. And that is why it is likely that the repeat offender Unterhaching will not get away with a comparatively mild sentence this time. In other words: Manfred Schwabl may have been signaled that he simply cannot afford coach Sven Bender. According to the statutes, it is even possible for the bottom team in the table to deduct points, who are already six points short of the first non-relegation place.
“This isn’t about me,” Sven Bender had answered several times in several press conferences when the question about his future was asked. However, he was a beacon of hope for the club; Schwabl raved about his coaching talent. According to reports, the former national player no longer has any increased interest in continuing to work as head coach. Ultimately, after the Unterberger era, he only got one point from three games. And the fact that the squad most likely cannot be strengthened during the break, most likely in the form of talent from FC Bayern, with whom Haching recently entered into a cooperation, does not make the task of staying in the league any easier.
The press spokesman says goodbye via WhatsApp message. Schwabl confirms that this is a cost-saving measure
Again Munich Mercury reported, Schwabl probably received a good resolution from the supervisory board for the year 2025 to save around two million euros. Last Friday, press spokesman Max Retzer said goodbye via WhatsApp message. Schwabl confirms that this is a cost-saving measure; Retzer’s successor will be Florian Rensch, who already works at the club and has also been a press spokesman. Training starts on January 4th and Manfred Schwabl says they will have a head coach then.
Apart from the fact that the “Hachinger Weg” would probably come to an end with the training of the in-house talents, Magath would definitely fit into the concept: Most recently, in 2022, he saved Hertha BSC from relegation like a firefighter. He also has the necessary license and is likely to be financially independent. In any case, Schwabl cannot offer the coach a lavish salary.
#SpVgg #Unterhaching #dire
