Sabrina Wittmann, only female coach in German men’s soccer top leagues, sacked after two seasons
· Yahoo Sports
Sabrina Wittmann, the only female head coach in the top three divisions of men’s football in Germany, has been sacked by FC Ingolstadt.
The 35-year-old managed 86 games across more than two seasons at the club, having been appointed in May 2024.
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On Thursday, Ingolstadt said the decision to part company with the coach was taken following “an intensive review of the team’s sporting development over the past season”.
In her first full campaign in 2024-25, Wittmann led Ingolstadt to 10th place. Last season, the club finished 12th. This season, they are 13th, with eight points from their opening seven matches.
“Against this backdrop, we consider a realignment necessary in order to provide new impetus for the tasks ahead,” said Harald Gaertner, Ingolstadt’s director of sport and communications.
“On a human and personal level, this decision was very difficult for us. We thank Sabrina for her commitment and the time we spent together at Ingolstadt.”
As part of the official statement, Wittmann said that she would “have loved to continue and continue the journey with a team full of exceptional characters.
“Unfortunately, the necessary trust is no longer there, and the club has opted for a different solution. Ingolstadt was more than just any club to me. It was my home. It’s where I grew up playing football and made so many special memories.
“The club, with all its people and staff, has become incredibly dear to me. I wish the club all the very best for the future.”
In April, Marie-Louise Eta became the first woman to be given the top job at a men’s team in one of Europe’s five biggest leagues when she was appointed interim coach of German Bundesliga side Union Berlin.
As it was already agreed on before her stint with the men’s team, Eta took over the role of head coach of Union’s women’s side with the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Ingolstadt have spent the majority of their existence in the second and third tiers of German football, but played in the top-level Bundesliga for two seasons between 2015 and 2017.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Germany, International Football, Bundesliga, Women's Soccer
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