22nd March, 2015
Relegation-threatened Hamburg have sacked their coach for the second time this season after Joe Zinnbauer was dismissed on Sunday, with sporting director Peter Knaebel taking charge of the Bundesliga strugglers.
Zinnbauer, who only took charge in Setepmber, was dismissed with his side third from bottom and in the relegation places after Friday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Hertha Berlin.
“Joe Zinnbauer has done his job from day one with maximum passion and commitment,” said chief executive Dietmar Beiersdorf with Hamburg winless in their last six games having picked up just two points.
“But according to the latest results and considering the overall situation we find ourselves in, we were forced to make a change.”
Knaebel, whose only experience as head coach was at Swiss second-division side FC Winterthur from 1998-2000, is the third coach at Hamburg’s helm this season after Zinnbauer in turn replaced Mirko Slomka, who was sacked last September.
Hamburg only narrowly avoided relegation last season after drawing both legs of a play-off with Greuther Fuerth and stayed up solely by virtue of an away goal.
Zinnbauer is the seventh German league coach to be dismissed this campaign after Werder Bremen’s Robin Dutt, Slomka, Jens Keller of Schalke 04, Stuttgart’s Armin Veh, Kasper Hjulmand at Mainz and Jos Luhukay from Hertha Berlin.