Hertha Berlin sack coach Korkut as relegation looms

AFP - Hertha Berlin sacked Tayfun Korkut as coach on Sunday, the morning after a 2-0 loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach stretched their winless streak in 2022 to nine games and pushed them closer to Bundesliga relegation.

"Hertha BSC's management have decided to part company with head coach Tayfun Korkut with immediate effect," the club said in a statement.

A successor will be announced "as soon as they have been finalised", it added.

Former Turkey international Korkut joined Hertha last November following the firing of Pal Dardai.

Under his stewardship Hertha have been on a losing streak since the start of the year, dropping to 17th in the Bundesliga table and raising the dreaded prospect of dropping out of the top division.

"After a promising start with seven points from the first four games and a positive trend, we've now clearly analysed the performances and results from the nine games in the second half of the season," managing director Fredi Bobic said in the statement.

"We came to the conclusion that we needed another change of coach."

He added: "We're currently in the relegation zone. We've got eight games left to pick up the points we need to stay up.

In the same statement, Korkut thanked everyone at Hertha "for the open and honest cooperation".

"I hope the club can avoid relegation and I wish the whole Hertha family all the best for the future," the German-born 47-year-old said.

Hertha have also been having a chaotic time off the pitch lately.

Main investor Lars Windhorst has become embroiled in a disagreement with the club's executive committee and sports director Arne Friedrich abruptly quit last Monday.

After Bobic said Hertha must "take points" at Borussia Park, Korkut drily responded on Thursday that his side knows they are effectively "forbidden to lose".

Gladbach dominated Hertha on Saturday, even with their coach Adi Huetter sidelined by Covid.

Alassane Plea converted a penalty for the hosts and Matthias Ginter compounded Hertha's misery by heading in a second goal after the break.