14 games, 1 draw, 13 losses. The romance ended in tragedy. Head coach Urs Fischer (57) and Union Berlin have parted ways by mutual consent.

“After five successful years, this is a joint decision. The club and coach Fischer terminate their contract with immediate effect. Chairman Dirk Zingler and Coach Fischer spoke privately on Monday afternoon and decided to part ways by mutual consent.” “Fischer will go down as the most successful coach in the club’s history,” the club announced.

Fischer took over the reins at Union in July 2018 and immediately made waves, leading the club to its first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga. In the 2019-2020 season, Union finished in 11th place in their first year of promotion with two league wins, five draws, and 17 losses.

The story was just beginning. Union finished seventh the following season and qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). It was the first European competition in the club’s history.

Union’s momentum was unstoppable. In 2021-2022, they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League (UEL), and last season they finished fourth and qualified for the UEFA Champions League (UCL). Both were firsts for the club since its inception.

The club had been busy in the summer transfer window, signing German international defender Robin Goesens and American prospects Brendan Aaronson, Luca Tudor, and Dattro Fofana, among others, and seemed to be ready for the UCL for the first time.

But this season was different. Union started off strong, winning both the first and second rounds 4-1, but things went south in the third round. Starting with the loss to Leipzig, they went on a nine-game losing streak in the league and drew one and lost three in the UCL. Before the draw against Napoli, they had lost 12 straight official matches.

In all competitions, they’ve won one, drawn one and lost 13 of their last 14 games. In the league and in UCL Group C, they’ve slipped to the bottom of the table. And yet, until recently, the fans have remained steadfast: “We don’t care what the media says. Urs Fischer is and will always be a Union man,” they said in an endless stream of support.

But the romance couldn’t last forever. The Union hierarchy decided to say goodbye to Fischer after the 0-4 loss to Leverkusen on December 12.

Zingler said: “I have made it clear in recent days that Fischer is a great coach and I continue to be convinced of that. His character and successes have shaped our organization and opened up many new opportunities for us,” said Zingler, adding, “Over the past five and a half years, respect and trust have grown between us, and we have always been able to exchange ideas openly and honestly. We have come to the conclusion that it is time for us to take a different path.”

“This is a very sad moment for me personally and for the entire Union family. It breaks my heart that we were unable to make it through the past few weeks. When I look back on our time together and the successes we’ve celebrated, I’m grateful and proud. As painful as this parting is, Coach Fisher leaves the team as a friend who we will always welcome with open arms.”

“We’ve expended a lot of energy over the past few weeks. We all put in a lot of hard work, but it didn’t pay off. I am very grateful for the trust I have always received here. Nevertheless, it feels right to make a change now. Sometimes a new face, a different way of dealing with the team, helps to move forward.” 캡틴토토 주소

Head coach Markus Hoffmann, who worked with Fischer, is also leaving the team. For the time being, Union will hand over the reins to Marco Grothe, who has been coaching the U-19 team, on an interim basis.