Fabian Hürzeler remains coach of the second division soccer team FC St. Pauli. The league leader and promotion candidate announced this on Friday. This means that the most important personnel issue for the Hamburg club has been resolved before the end of the season. The negotiations had dragged on for weeks. Both sides agreed not to disclose the contents of the contract.
“I think the conversations were always very trusting,” said the 31-year-old at the matchday press conference for the game on Sunday (1:30 p.m./Sky) against Hertha BSC from Berlin. “I am very happy that I have extended my contract here and am extremely looking forward to continuing to work together.”
No exit clause?
According to media information, the new contract should not contain an exit clause, not even in the event that Pauli misses promotion this season. Hürzeler’s previous contract with the Kiez club expired at the end of the season.
He came to FC St. Pauli in 2020 as Timo Schultz’s assistant coach. After separating from Schultz, he took over the team as head coach at the end of 2022 and transformed it from a relegation candidate to a promotion candidate.
Frank Heike, Hamburg Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 1 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6 Frank Heike, Hamburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
This season, Hürzeler and the Kiez club confirmed this impressive development. Despite last weekend’s defeat at FC Schalke 04, FC St. Pauli is currently top of the table, number one candidate for promotion and the most stable team in the league. It was only on matchday 21 that the club suffered its first defeat of the season at 1. FC Magdeburg.
The decision to extend the contract still took months. Hürzeler, who was born in the USA, always emphasized that he wanted to stay with the club that brought him onto the big football stage. Nevertheless, he and his consulting agency are said to have long insisted on an exit clause in the new contract, which FC St. Pauli did not want to accept. A few weeks ago there was even a threat of negotiations failing. Hürzeler has also been linked to Bundesliga clubs.