Sven Mislintat, sporting director of Fortuna Düsseldorf, had an urgent question to address right from the start: Does coach Markus Anfang have to go?

Markus Anfang will remain coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf. The club officially confirmed this on Sunday morning, December 28. According to the announcement, the new sporting director, Sven Mislintat, made this decision following the 2-1 home win against SpVgg Fürth. He believes that, based on Fortuna’s recent performances under Anfang, the team is on the right track to emerge from the crisis. He shared this in a brief statement released by the club.

After the victory, Fortuna’s new sporting director Sven Mislintat had already commented on the simmering coaching debate: “It’s only right that we analyze everything thoroughly—and of course, Markus has made a strong case for himself with this win.”

In the final match of the first half of the season, Anfang secured only his second win in his ninth league game. “That was a good performance,” said Mislintat. “With this win, we’re back in the thick of things.” Although Düsseldorf, who entered the season aiming for promotion, are currently in acute danger of relegation, the gap to the mid-table is small.

Anfang took over from Daniel Thioune in early October 2025. However, a major turnaround has yet to materialize.

Klaus Allofs, Director of Sports and Communications in Düsseldorf, stated at the time: “In Markus Anfang, we have chosen an expert on the 2. Bundesliga who has already demonstrated his ability to successfully lead teams. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to Daniel Thioune for his work. He took over the club in February 2022 during a difficult period and led it to the brink of promotion to the Bundesliga in 2024, as well as to the semifinals of the DFB Cup. He also proved to be an outstanding ambassador for the club. He is always welcome at Fortuna.”

Fortuna Düsseldorf is currently in sixteenth place. Anfang has managed only one win—against Fürth—and two draws in ten matches. Consequently, Fortuna Düsseldorf remains in acute danger of relegation. It is now clear: Markus Anfang is set to keep Düsseldorf in the second division as head coach.