What a drama it was for Stuttgarter Kickers in the Regionalliga Südwest! In the end, the Kickers remain in fourth place – with a new coach.

There were long faces at Stuttgarter Kickers, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the 3rd division in the Regionalliga Südwest. The Kickers should have won against FC Homburg, but lost 3-0, allowing VfB Stuttgart II to overtake them with a 2-0 win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II and secure their ticket to the third division.

In Degerloch, the consequences are now being drawn. The club has announced that current head coach Mustafa Ünal will have to leave early. It has not yet been decided who will succeed him and take charge of the Kickers in the 2024/25 season.

“We analyzed the past season very intensively with our sports director Marc Stein and did not take this decision lightly,” said President Professor Dr. Rainer Lorz, “but ultimately came to the joint decision that we need a fresh start and fresh impetus.”

According to the President, it was not just about the results, but also about the general development of the team in recent months. The missed leap into the 3rd division did not play the most important role, but rather the development of the team, especially in the second half of the season. “This development has given us cause for concern, especially with a view to the coming season,” said Stein.

Lorz adds: “Nevertheless, this was an extremely difficult decision because we value Mustafa Ünal both as a player and as a person. The successes of recent years are closely linked to his name. We would like to thank him for his exceptional commitment and wish him all the best for the future.”

Ünal had been with Stuttgarter Kickers since 2017. First as U17 coach, then as U19 coach and since September 27, 2021 as head coach of the first team. In his second season as Oberliga champion, he led the team to the Regionalliga, where they finished as runners-up.

The club announced that this was considered a success internally. “But in the second half of the season in particular, the development was heading in a direction that threatened to become a burden for the new season,” said Lorz.