Mainz parts ways with coach Schmidt after difficult season

Posted May 22, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

MAINZ, Germany (AP) - Bundesliga side Mainz and coach Martin Schmidt are going their separate ways after a difficult season.

Mainz sporting director Rouven Schroeder says, "This mutual and amicable termination of our cooperation comes after a very frank and honest conversation" and that the club needs "a new impulse and perspective" going forward.

Schmidt, the club's former under-23 coach, oversaw 29 wins and 18 draws from 81 Bundesliga games, but the side was one of several in danger of relegation till the last day of the season.

Only seven goals separated Mainz from Wolfsburg in the relegation playoff spot.

Assistant coaches Peter Perchtold and Soeren Hartung are also leaving the club.

The club hasn't appointed a successor to Schmidt, who had a contract to 2018. Schroeder says he hopes to name one soon but "this season has taught us that we should make important decisions calmly and consistently."

FILE - In this April 22, 2017 file photo Mainz's head coach Martin Schmidt arrives for the German Soccer Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Munich and FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, Germany. According to German dpa news agency Monday, May 22, 2017, Schmidt has to leave the club. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file) The Associated Press

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