Official | Union Berlin confirm shock sacking of head coach Steffen Baumgart

Official | Union Berlin confirm shock sacking of head coach Steffen Baumgart

In a shock piece of news on Saturday evening, Union Berlin have announced the termination of trainer Steffen Baumgart with immediate effect. Baumgart’s team lost to last placed Bundesliga side FC Heidenheim on Saturday afternoon. Despite the fact that Baumgart gave a rather caustic press conference, there had previously been no rumors of any kind that the sacking was coming.

Why did Union opt to sack Steffen Baumgart?

The news was certainly unexpected. While it is true that Baumgart’s Union have won only two of their 14 Bundesliga fixtures in the 2026 calendar year, Baumgart’s ability to squeeze late goals out of his “super subs” was a celebrated topic when league once again got underway in January. Baumgart’s FCU began the 2026 year with three draws in which the Union head coach appeared to be capable of bringing out the best in his players.

After the second half of the Bundesliga campaign (known in German as the “Rückrunde”) officially got underway, the Köpenick side delivered several offensively anemic performances in which they struggled to score goals. Both victories (against Freiburg and Leverkusen) came via slender 1-0 victories. Union have scored only nine goals in their 12 “Rückrunde” fixtures.

All of this notwithstanding, Baumgart’s Union have still collected 33 points and – arithmetically at least – appear largely safe from relegation. The decision of FCU managing director Horst Heldt to part company with Baumgart – whom he also once hired to coach Köln in 2021 shortly before getting sacked himself still counts as a major surprise.

Baumgart and his two assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna have also been relieved of their duties. Trailblazing female coach Marie Louise Eta will once again take the reins for Union on an interim basis for the final five matchdays of the season.

Union Berlin’s statement on Baumgart’s sacking

“We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season so far, and we’re not letting the standings blind us,” Heldt noted in club statement. “Our situation remains precarious and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league. The recent results leave us without the conviction that we can still turn things around with the current coaching team.“

GGFN | Peter Weis