Union Berlin part ways with coach Urs Fischer

Union Berlin have parted ways with coach Urs Fischer after dropping to the bottom of the Bundesliga table amid a run of 14 winless games, which includes 13 defeats, the club said on Wednesday.

"Union Berlin and their head coach Urs Fischer are going their separate ways with immediate effect. The joint decision was taken by Union president Dirk Zingler and Fischer in person during a meeting on Monday afternoon," a statement said.

Union under-19 coach Marco Grote will be in charge of the team as interim until further notice, the club said. It's unclear when a new coach will be announced.

"The last few weeks have cost a lot of strength. We've tried a lot, and the team has put in a lot of effort, but it hasn't paid off in terms of results. I am very grateful for the confidence I have always felt here," Fischer said.

"Nevertheless, it feels right to make a change now. Sometimes a different face, a different way of addressing a team helps to spark a development."

Fischer took over as head coach of the professional team in July 2018 and led the team to their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019.

In the past three seasons, Fischer led the team to seventh, fifth and fourth placed finishes, qualifying for the Conference League, Europa League and ultimately the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

However, in the current season, the coach hasn't been able to repeat the successful performances despite the signings of big names such as midfielder Robin Gosens, forward Kevin Volland and defender Leonardo Bonucci.

In the Bundesliga, Union sit at the bottom of the table after a 4-0 loss to leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, which marked their ninth consecutive league defeat this season.

Their first-ever participation in the Champions League was supposed to be the highlight of the season, but so far Union lost three games and their sole point came from a draw with Napoli last week. The club was also eliminated from the German Cup after a defeat to Stuttgart in the second round.

"This is a very sad moment for not only for me personally, but certainly for the entire Union family. It hurts that we have not managed to break the negative run of recent weeks. I am grateful and proud when looking back on the time we have spent and the successes we have celebrated together," Zingler said

Grote will have Marie-Louise Eta as his assistant coach, the first woman to take this position in the Bundesliga.

Eta joined Union in July. She started her career at Werder Bremen's under-15 men's team and has been part of Germany coaching staff in several youth teams.