Monday, June 21, 2021
Bremen parted ways with Ikone
With Werder’s descent, the Schaaf era also ends
Werder Bremen has to save after relegation from the Bundesliga. For “economic reasons”, the contract with Technical Director Thomas Schaaf will not be extended. This ends a great era for the former German champions and European Cup winners.
He is an icon at Werder Bremen – his era on the Weser is now ending: Thomas Schaaf and Werder Bremen are going their separate ways. The three-year contract as technical director at the relegated Bundesliga, which expires on June 30, will not be extended. “Due to the economic situation and the necessary savings, including in the personnel area, we were unfortunately unable to make an offer to Thomas Schaaf. We have mutually agreed to make a decision now,” said managing director Frank Baumann. First the “Deichstube” reported about it.
“Over the past 40 years, Thomas has done outstanding things for Werder as a player, coach and most recently as technical director, for which the Werder family will be forever grateful,” emphasized Baumann. In the past three years he has “improved trainer training, increased the quality of training in the performance center and also created greater permeability into the professional field”. Now Thomas Wolter and Björn Schierenbeck from the Schaafs youth training center are to take over tasks.
“Incredibly great services for the club”
Schaaf’s Werder engagement ended in failure. After separating from head coach Florian Kohfeldt, the 60-year-old tried to prevent Werder’s threatened relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga on the last day of the season that recently ended. The last-second rescue operation failed. Werder will have to save next season because of the lower financial income. Previously, chief analyst Mario Baric had already left the club.
The Werder veteran went unfamiliar twice: in 2014/15 he was the coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, in the 2015/16 season he coached Hannover 96 for ten games. It is uncertain whether the successful coach will want to sit on the coaching chair again.
Schaaf says goodbye to his club for the second time. In 2013, his 14-year work as head coach at Bremen ended. During this phase he led Werder to the championship title (2004) and won the DFB Cup three times (1999, 2004, 2009). However, he had established his reputation as a professional among the green-whites. Between 1980 and 1995 he played 380 competitive games for Werder, winning two German championship titles (1988, 1993) and twice the DFB Cup (1991, 1994). The crowning glory was winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992.
“Thomas Schaaf has done incredibly great services for the club and has also been able to provide important impulses in his role as technical director in the last three years: He has improved the trainer training, increased the quality of training in the performance center and also created greater permeability in the professional area “said Baumann.
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