Hannover 96, a Second Division football team, has parted ways with head coach Stefan Leitl with immediate effect. The 47-year-old, along with co-trainer Andre Mijatovic, has been released from his duties, the club announced on Sunday.
“We have definitely caught up from behind, but we haven’t managed to achieve a genuine consistency and we’ve had extreme fluctuations down the bottom” said Sport Director Marcus Mann. “To have the greatest possible chance of success, absolute conviction and full support throughout the club and its surroundings are necessary.” The belief that the current setup could still win promotion until the end, however, “is no longer unconditionally present.” Instead, the aim is to “inject new impulses” into the second half of the season, Mann said.
Leitl and Mijatovic joined Hannover 96 at the beginning of the 2022/23 season from SpVgg Greuther Fürth. After a tenth-place finish with 44 points in the first year, they secured a sixth-place finish with 52 points in the second season. Currently, Hannover 96 is seventh in the second division table with 27 points, four behind leader Cologne and two behind second-placed Karlsruher SC.
No information was given on Leitl’s successor. The club will announce the new solution for the head coach position “in a timely manner” it said.