Mario Kallnik is no longer head of sport at FCM.
Photo: dpa / Joachim Sielski
Two years ago there was a banner on the Magdeburg stadium that read: “The most successful coach since Krügel fired. You will still regret it! «FCM fans had made their criticism of the dealings with Jens Härtel clear – and they should be right. This Wednesday, Härtel comes back: In the East Derby, he can worsen the situation at his former club with FC Hansa Rostock. 1. FC Magdeburg is penultimate in the 3rd division with eight points from eleven games.
“There is no coaching discussion. We have a crisp English week ahead of us and will work calmly and objectively to get the team on track. «That was what Otmar Schork said last Friday. With the defeat in the first of these three games on Sunday in Ingolstadt, the new sports director at least liked “the mentality”. The team must also show this against Rostock. The derby character of the game could be additional motivation, also next Saturday at FSV Zwickau. The special importance of such games could also become a burden – even more so for a club that has been plagued by crises for a long time. And so this English week is probably also a trend-setting one: If at the end nothing counts for the FCM, the internal coaching discussion could quickly lead to a decision against Thomas Hoßmang.
The Magdeburg Ultras from “Block U” had already called for such a decision three weeks ago. At that time there was no banner hanging on the stadium as it was two years ago when Jens Härtel was fired. With two promotions in four years, he had led the FCM into the 2nd Bundesliga and thus into professional football for the first time. His popularity in Magdeburg is as great as that of Heinz Krügels, with whom the club won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1974. The fan protests at the beginning of November had a similar dimension, however, because not only the dismissal of the trainer was demanded: “Mario Kallnik – pack your bags and do not damage your hard-working monument in Magdeburg!”
Mario Kallnik is still there. For the structure and functioning of the association, which he has excused and structurally professionalized since taking office a good eight years ago, this is probably a good thing in difficult times. However, he lost his first power struggle in the club. Kallnik initially contradicted the publicly expressed criticism from association bodies of his abundance of power. Then the managing director gave up his dual role as sports director at the beginning of November. He has not spoken out publicly since then. “Mario Kallnik is currently not available for an interview,” said club spokesman Manuel Holscher this week “nd”. Even the introduction of the new sports director took over the supervisory board chairman Lutz Petermann.
It is currently not harmonious at FCM. This is also shown by the change in the sports director: With his first official act, Otmar Schork pardoned the leading players Sören Bertram and Jürgen Gjasula. Kallnik had justified their suspension by coach Hoßmang as follows: “It was about the values of 1. FC Magdeburg.” And what Schork was referring to when he said in his inaugural address that all vanities should be put on hold is unclear. It seems clear that the new sports director speaks when it comes to sports. Just like after the defeat in Ingolstadt, when he denied the referee’s qualification due to his age and two wrong decisions that made the game decisive.
The new division of tasks at the management level of the association has advantages. On the one hand, as managing director, Kallnik can concentrate on leading the FCM – also due to corona – through tough times. He has proven that he is good at it. And Kallnik is also saved from making another dubious and momentous decision, such as the hasty dismissal of Jens Härtel and the appointment of the four successors to his coaching chair. Because after two and a half unsuccessful years, the FCM should not afford any further mistakes. A descent into the fourth division would set the club back years. That is why 1. FC Magdeburg plays against Rostock and its coach Jens Härtel not only plays against his past, but also for his own future.
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