Christian Streich’s future has been clarified. The coach announces his departure after almost three decades at SC Freiburg.
Cult coach Christian Streich is leaving Bundesliga club SC Freiburg at the end of the season.
As the club announced at the start of the international break on Monday, the 58-year-old will no longer extend his expiring contract at his own request.
Streich took over the coaching position with the professionals in January 2012; he had previously been a youth coach at the sports club for 17 years. The greatest successes were reaching the cup final in 2022 and the round of 16 in the Europa League in 2023 and 2024.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time and had a lot of conversations, but I think after 29 years now is the right time to make room for new energies, new people and new opportunities,” said Streich:
“It’s been very important to me in the past that I don’t miss the moment when I think it’s right to leave.” He had “hundreds of extraordinary experiences” during that time.
the essentials in brief
“This club is my life and I am extremely grateful for the great support and affection that I have always received,” said the South Baden resident.
In recent seasons, Streich has extended his contract by one year each spring.
Prank successor: Ex-captain Schuster favorite?
The successor is still unclear. According to “Bild”, the most likely solution is an internal solution, with ex-captain Julian Schuster, currently the talent development coordinator. be favorite according to “Sky”.
Thomas Stamm is another candidate. However, the weak season of the second team, which is currently bottom of the table in the 3rd league after the good last season, speaks against the U23 coach.
Possible external candidates include Paderborn coach Lukas Kwasniok and ex-Union coach Urs Fischer.
Theoretically, Jogi Löw’s return would also be possible: The ex-national coach played for the sports club for eight years, is the second best goalscorer in SC history behind Nils Petersen and lives in Freiburg.
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Prank: Players hoped until the end
The players had been asking for further cooperation until the very end. “Hope dies last. We will respect and support his decision,” SC captain Christian Günter said on Sunday:
In addition, he always looked outside the box. As the league’s good conscience, he denounced grievances and undesirable developments – in sport as well as in politics and society.
In January, he called for a “very clear stance” against right-wing extremism: “Anyone who doesn’t stand up now has understood nothing. It’s five minutes to twelve. Everyone in this country is called upon to stand up and in the family circle, in the Work or somewhere else, to position yourself very clearly.”
Prank successor: Freiburg not unprepared
Board member Jochen Saier spoke of an “intensive, very trusting and emotional exchange of ideas with Christian – at the end of which there is a decision that we regret, but can fully respect and understand.”
Information regarding the succession plan will be available “in a timely manner.”
Three weeks ago Saier was in the ran Bundesliga web show has already explained that the sports club is not unprepared for a farewell.
“In the coaching market you often have the feeling that these are ad hoc decisions. That wouldn’t be the case with us. In recent years, because there were phases with a certain degree of uncertainty, we have always had discussions with his knowledge,” he explained there:
“But always in the setting that we absolutely want things to continue. It’s much more relaxed for both sides and that’s what we’ve always done over the years. It always becomes more concrete when a decision has been made. But from a pool, where you are already one step further.”
Saier continued: “If both sides really came to the decision that perhaps it was the right time to change something, I believe that we are not entirely unprepared.”