Hertha BSC parts ways with coach Cristian Fiél

Hertha BSC has reportedly terminated the contract of coach Cristian Fiél after nearly eight months in charge, according to a report by Sky. The 44-year-old was informed of the decision on the night following the team’s 1-2 defeat against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Sky also indicated that Stefan Leitl and his assistant Andre Mijatovic, a former Hertha player, are expected to succeed Fiél. Negotiations are reportedly in the final stages, although an agreement with Hertha’s second division rival Hannover 96 is still pending. The 47-year-old Leitl previously managed Hannover until late last year when he was released but remains under contract with the club.

Hertha’s next match is scheduled for this coming Friday at the Berlin Olympiastadion against 1. FC Nürnberg.

Struggles in the League

The separation has not yet been officially confirmed, but it would not come as a surprise. Under Fiél’s management, Hertha has gradually lost sight of their promotion ambitions, culminating in four consecutive losses, including the recent defeat against Fortuna.

“Things are not going well for us at the moment,” said Hertha’s sporting director Benjamin Weber to Sky after the defeat in Düsseldorf. He added, “We will now head home and, as we always do, analyze everything. We need to start picking up points quickly.”

Since December, Hertha has been moving further away from a potential return to the Bundesliga. At one point, the capital city club was sitting sixth after ten matches, just two points behind a direct promotion spot. However, the team has not shown any significant improvement and has instead slumped.

Following the 22nd matchday, which was Fiél’s last, the club has dropped to 13th place and is now battling against relegation instead of pursuing promotion. A low point during Fiél’s tenure was the humiliating 0-2 loss against bottom-placed Jahn Regensburg earlier this month. Recently, Fiél faced criticism from fans, including during last week’s 0-1 defeat to 1. FC Kaiserslautern.