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Photo: Thilo Schmuelgen / dpa
The relegation-threatened Bundesliga soccer team 1. FC Köln has split from coach Markus Gisdol.
This was announced by the penultimate in the table on Sunday evening after the 2: 3 home defeat against direct rivals FSV Mainz 05.
Initially, Sport1 and the »Express« reported on it.
The club wants to provide timely information about the successor, according to the announcement.
Previously, several media reported unanimously that Friedhelm Funkel should compete.
The 67-year-old had actually declared his career over after the leave of absence in Düsseldorf in January 2020.
The fifth final was one too many
Gisdol has been coaching FC since November 2019. After a weak start in the preseason, he put in a strong intermediate spurt that was enough to stay in class despite a botched end of the season.
This season, four games were previously considered to be finals for the coach: But none of them went to Dortmund (2: 1), Schalke (2: 1), against Hertha BSC (0: 0) and against Dortmund (2: 2) lost.
In the end, Gisdol's defeat against Mainz was apparently fatal.
From the last eight games, Cologne, who had in the meantime already earned a small buffer to the relegation places, only got two points.
After 28 games, the Rhinelander have 23 points on their account.
In all four seasons in which there were fewer, there was relegation at the end.
Last season games against Hertha and Schalke
That should be prevented with all might in Corona times.
Managing director Alexander Wehrle had announced a minus of 23.8 million euros after taxes in the previous season.
An even higher loss is expected for the current season, so that the first Bundesliga champions also applied for a state guarantee for 20 million euros.
Gisdol's successor will promptly face Rhenish rival Bayer Leverkusen on his debut (Saturday, 6.30 p.m. / TV: Sky), then RB Leipzig will come to Cologne.
There are still games against FC Augsburg, SC Freiburg, Hertha BSC and Schalke 04.
mfu / dpa / sid
