SpVgg Unterhaching: Not on the sunny side

It wasn’t easy for Sven Bender to put what he had just experienced into words. The interim coach of SpVgg Unterhaching was deeply disappointed after the pretty clear 0:3 (0:1) home defeat against Dynamo Dresden in the last game of the year. Also because the situation in the bottom of the table in the third division is becoming increasingly bleak after 15 games in a row without a win. “I don’t have much to say about the first half because we didn’t do anything we planned to do. “To be honest, that’s not even close to something that can help you survive in a relegation battle,” said Bender. After a few adjustments, things looked a little better in the second half. Nevertheless: “It’s very sobering right now.”

But as befits a professional, he didn’t spend long analyzing it, instead focusing on the future: “With a good game at home, we would have gone into the winter break with a different feeling. So it won’t be a real break, a real vacation,” summed up the former national player and made a clear announcement for the turn of the year: “It’s the time for everyone to reflect, for everyone to work on themselves. Everyone should be there at the start of preparations and know what it’s about and give everything they’ve got.”

The game started half an hour late because many of the estimated 5,000 Dynamo supporters got stuck in a traffic jam on the journey. Despite the delay, Dresden didn’t need long to get into the game, Aljaz Casar scored early with a header from a cross from Jonas Sterner (8th). Haching only had one chance before the break through Lenn Jastremski, but he failed from about six meters (45th + 3).

Haching has to save two million euros. President Schwabl says this is “not an ad hoc issue”

After the substitution, the hosts, who were now much more committed, had another opportunity. Simon Skarlatidis, who was substituted despite a severe sinus infection, sent Julian Kügel on his way, but he only hit the left inside post (66th). And as is the case when you’re not on the sunny side of the sport, Dynamo increased it to 0-2 two minutes later with a header from David Kubatta; Stefan Kutschke made it 0-3 with a hand penalty caused by Johannes Geis (74′).

And so they look into an uncertain future in the sports park. This starts with the trainer, because Sven Bender, who moved into the managerial role after Marc Unterberger was released three weeks ago, does not have a UEFA Pro license, which means that the club will be fined for every game that the 35-year-old coaches would. Nevertheless, Manfred Schwabl seems to be inclined to put his permanent trust in the Rosenheim native. “We’ll put our heads together these days and then we’ll decide quickly,” says the President. You can hear the tendency that it will probably come down to Bender quite clearly, even if he dismisses it: “It’s not about me. Every individual, but also the entire club, the entire team must do everything they can to get out of the situation.”

As if the sporting misery wasn’t bad enough, it also became public at the weekend that the SpVgg was struggling with serious financial problems and had to save up to two million euros, which is 25 percent of the annual budget. When asked, President Manfred Schwabl weighs it down: “This is not an ad hoc issue. A normal process that we have been discussing in the club for a long time.” In the league, there is “always a structural deficit,” which we have often been able to compensate for through player transfers. Not this time. Everything will also become more expensive. An example is the rent for the sports park stadium, which the municipality increased by more than 300 percent last week – to now over 26,000 euros per month.

Since the cooperation with FC Bayern does not bring “ghost numbers” (Schwabl) into the coffers as originally rumored, but only one million euros a year, “all departments have to be streamlined,” as the president says. This also applies to the flourishing catering industry. Up to 25 jobs will be lost in total, including squad positions, for example in the U21.