Trainer quake

Poms gone! Great guesswork surrounding DSV Leoben

Rene Poms

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Having just welcomed Rapid to the Cup, celebrated a party with 9000 soccer fans - a few hours later the coach is gone! This is what happened at DSV Leoben. It's not the first coaching story to raise questions at the second division club. There is now a lot of guesswork - and: A new head coach must be found quickly!

Rene Poms was still calmly philosophizing with the "Krone" about the Cup 0:3 in the semi-final of the ÖFB Cup against Rapid Vienna as well as the upcoming tasks in the second division, where they want to set the course for promotion next season. But then events came thick and fast on Thursday. Suddenly it was said: The coach is gone!

The Krone asked Poms, who took over Leoben at the end of August 2023 as Carsten Jancker's successor and actually had a decent record after 16 league games and four cup matches. "There were simply irreconcilable sporting differences with the board," the Styrian suddenly explained. "A few things happened, including at the match against Rapid." But Poms didn't want to say much more. Except: "It was a great time, the team is top. I don't want to start a war of the roses."

The club announced the separation from Poms in a press release. This was done "at his own request". However, there may indeed have been differences of opinion, as an interview by Poms on an online portal a few weeks ago had caused irritation among the board. Chairman Mario Bichler said in an initial reaction on Thursday that he was "humanly disappointed" by Poms. 

Wednesday was still the Cup party in Leoben - Thursday the coach was gone.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The coaching quake at DSV Leoben, whose chairman Bichler has repeatedly been confronted with accusations against him in recent weeks due to his role in the crypto company "Paraiba", is not the first this season. After just five match days, the promoted club parted company with coach Carsten Jancker, who had led the traditional club from the national league to the 2nd division in the previous years, and with sporting director Stevanovic. There was already a lot of guesswork at the time. Now it is even greater.

The search for a new coach should be over, DSV wants to present him on Friday. Dino Skvorc (assistant coach) is a candidate, he could coach at GAK on Saturday.