2. Bundesliga: Coach Funkel leaves Kaiserslautern after cup final.
Successful coach leaves Lautern with a heavy heart.
Dieter Funkel will not extend his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which runs until the end of the season. This was agreed by the club and the 68-year-old coach on Thursday, as was the case after the DFB Cup final against RB Leipzig.
Successful years at Lautern.
After an intensive exchange of views with Dieter Funkel, we have jointly decided not to extend the cooperation beyond the end of the season, said Kaiserslautern sports director Thomas Hengen during the press conference held on Thursday.
Funkel led Kaiserslautern back to the 2nd Bundesliga in the 2020/21 season. At the beginning of this season, the Red Devils were considered a relegation candidate by many experts. But that was different in the end, because Funkel not only led the Lautern to the top third of the table, but also to the DFB Cup final.
Leipzig too strong.
However, the team from the Palatinate lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig on Saturday in the final of the DFB Cup. Funkel could not win a title with Kaiserslautern.
It was an extremely difficult decision for me. I have always enjoyed working at FCK and I was able to celebrate great successes here. But after careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for a change, said Funkel when explaining his change. decision.
However, Funkel will continue to sit on the bench for Lautern in the last two games of the season. The Lautern team will then play against Paderborn and Sandhausen.
Where Funkel will coach next is still unclear.
Kind regards E. Thompson.
