After relegation from the Bundesliga
1. FC Cologne parts ways with Schultz – Succession unclear
1. FC Köln has not renewed the contract with coach Timo Schultz. Photo
© Harry Langer/dpa
After their seventh Bundesliga relegation, 1. FC Cologne will start the second division season with a new coach. The current coach Timo Schultz and the club will not continue working together.
Bundesliga relegated 1. FC Köln and coach Timo Schultz will not continue their collaboration in the 2nd division. This was announced by the Rhineland club. The contract of the 46-year-old, who was signed at the beginning of the year as a new hopeful, ends on June 30, 2024 anyway. His two assistant coaches André Pawlak and Kevin McKenna will also leave.
“We deliberately took a lot of time last week to work through the second half of the season together with Timo and to turn over every stone. As a result, we were of the unanimous opinion that we need to start the second division season, which will bring with it major challenges, with new impulses in the coaching team,” said FC managing director Christian Keller.
Schultz, who had previously worked at FC Basel and FC St. Pauli, was unable to turn things around with Cologne in the second half of the season. In 18 games under their new coach, the Rhinelanders only managed three wins and never got out of the relegation zone. “Since we did not achieve our main goal – staying in the league – I believe it is consistent and right that someone else makes a fresh start,” explained Schultz.
Nothing has been announced about the successor. However, the new coach is facing an extremely difficult situation. The team will lose its best players. Defensive specialist Jeff Chabot has already joined VfB Stuttgart. And because of the FIFA ban for two transfer periods, Cologne cannot sign any players this summer and can only rely on returning loan players and talent from their own youth team.