Home > Sports > Football

Berlin sack manager Svensson over poor Bundesliga run

Published: 29 Dec. 2024, 13:22 Updated: 29 Dec. 2024, 15:59

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Bo Svensson, then-Union Berlin manager, arrives for a Bundesliga match against SC Freiburg in Berlin, Germany on Nov. 8. [AFP/YONHAP]

Union Berlin has sacked manager Bo Svensson over the club’s unimpressive run in the ongoing 2024-25 Bundesliga season, the club announced Friday.

“After a thorough analysis of the season so far, we are convinced that a significant change is necessary to reverse the trend,” the club said in a statement released on its website on Friday.

The club added that it will announce who will take charge of the team in the next few days.

The departure of Svensson comes only about six months after he took the helm.

Berlin, where Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong has played since joining on loan from fellow Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart, has seen an up-and-down run that put them in 12th place in the 18-team league table as of press time Sunday.

Union Berlin midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong celebrates scoring during a Bundesliga match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Berlin, Germany on Nov. 30. [EPA/YONHAP]

Berlin picked up a few wins in the early days of the season, but has seen a downhill slide in recent matches, having failed to secure a victory since a 2-0 win over Holstein Kiel on Oct. 20.

Friday’s announcement comes before the Bundesliga resumes on Jan. 10 next year after the winter break.

Berlin have a relatively relaxed schedule compared to fellow Bundesliga sides competing in the DFB-Pokal and UEFA competitions, as the club only has league action to catch through the end of the campaign.

Jeong, meanwhile, is bound to leave Berlin after the end of the season if the club decides not to sign him as a permanent fixture.

The Korean midfielder has been a regular pick at Berlin, with two goals and one assist across 13 appearances as of Sunday.

Berlin next face Heidenheim on Jan. 11 and have upcoming fixtures against Lee Jae-sung and Hong Hyun-seok’s Mainz and Kim Min-jae’s Bayern Munich in the second half of the season, setting up possible Korean derbies.

Mainz have seen a smooth run to sit in fifth place, while Bayern are at the top of the league table with just one loss from their opening 15 games.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]