Hoffenheim have announced the sacking of head coach Markus Babbel. The club’s U-23 coach Frank Cramer will take over the reigns of the club in the interim. The new manager will be announced during the winter break.
Hoffenheim sacks Markus Babbel
Markus Babbel has been sacked as the manager of Hoffenheim, and U-23 coach Frank Cramer will take over on an interim basis.
Alex Grimm
It’s not difficult to see why a change was necessary at the top. Hoffenheim are currently in the relegation zone and four points from safety. While they’ve played many entertaining matches this season, that’s generally been to the fact that they’re conceding goals at an alarming rate. With two matches remaining in the Hinrunde, Hoffenheim’s defense has already conceded 36 goals. That’s the most in Europe’s top six leagues.
Babbel took over in February of this year after Holger Stanislawski was sacked following a run of poor results. Since that time, Hoffenheim have only picked up 29 out of a possible 87 points. That’s not good. This weekend’s loss to Werder Bremen marked the fifth time this season that Hoffenheim have conceded four or more goals in a match. That’s unacceptable.
“After careful consideration, and in accordance with the club’s management, as well as its board members, I have decided to make a cut,” sporting director Andreas Müller said. “Our increasingly perilous sporting situation and the ongoing negative trend have left me with no choice.”
Not all the news coming out of the club in the past week is bad news. On Friday, the club announced a €1.73m profit. This marks the first time since TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Football Club GmbH was founded in 2005 that they have seen a profit.
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