Sabrina Wittmann, who made German football history in May 2024 as the first female head coach to lead a men’s professional team, has been dismissed by 3. Liga club FC Ingolstadt following a difficult start to the season. The club announced the decision on Thursday morning, citing a necessary tactical realignment after a run of poor results.
Ingolstadt currently sits 13th in the 3. Liga standings after securing just two wins from their opening seven league matches. The team’s struggles were underscored recently by a 3-0 defeat against Viktoria Köln, leaving the Bavarian side only two points clear of the relegation zone. The dismissal arrived less than 24 hours after Wittmann led the squad to a 2-1 victory over TSV Landsberg in the Bavarian Landespokal round of 16 on Wednesday evening.
Reflecting on her departure, Wittmann expressed clear disappointment in a club statement reported by t-online.de. “I would have very much liked to continue and to have pursued this path with a team full of extraordinary characters,” the 35-year-old said. “Unfortunately, the trust for this is no longer there, and the club has decided on a different solution. Ingolstadt was more than just any club for me. Here, I was at home.”
Management Outlines Reasons for the Change
FC Ingolstadt managing director Harald Gärtner addressed the high-profile decision by pointing to long-term sporting evaluations. According to club communications cited by t-online.de, Gärtner explained that the move followed “an intensive review of the cross-seasonal sporting development and the results in the course of the 3. Liga season so far.”
Gärtner added that the board deemed a “realignment” necessary to inject fresh momentum into the squad for upcoming fixtures. While framing the choice as an operational necessity, he acknowledged the personal weight of the decision, stating that it was exceptionally difficult on a human and personal level.
The club has not yet named a permanent successor to take over the managerial reins, indicating only that a new appointment will be announced in due course.
A Groundbreaking Tenure and the Weight of Pioniering
Wittmann initially took charge of Ingolstadt’s professional team on an interim basis in May 2024 before earning a permanent promotion to head coach the following month. Her appointment broke a long-standing barrier in German professional men’s football. Earlier this year, in March, the club extended her contract, and she successfully obtained her DFB Pro License.
Before her dismissal, Wittmann spoke openly about the intense scrutiny that accompanied her trailblazing role. In a previous podcast appearance, she described the expectations she carried as a heavy burden, noting that the metaphorical rucksack she bore proved heavier than anticipated. She admitted at the time that she was acutely aware of the historical stakes, hoping to avoid becoming a short-lived footnote as the first female coach in the men’s professional ranks.
Ingolstadt, which spent the 2015–17 campaigns in the Bundesliga, must now regroup quickly as the club searches for a new leader to steer the team away from the lower half of the 3. Liga table.
Related reading
