Just ahead of the 3rd division run-in, the officials at FC Bayern have made an important staffing decision. Danny Schwarz (45) and Martín Demichelis (40) will jointly take over the coaching duties of Bayern's reserve team after Matchday 30, succeeding Holger Seitz. From that point, the 46-year-old will focus his efforts entirely on his position as sporting director at the campus.
"After Sebastian Hoeneß left the club at short notice last summer for Hoffenheim, Holger Seitz agreed to take over the position as reserve team coach on an interim basis until we found a suitable successor. So Holger has had an intensive dual role at the campus so far this season. We recently reached an agreement with Danny Schwarz and Martín Demichelis that the two of them would jointly succeed Holger from the 2021/2022 season. We're now bringing this decision forward in the interest of everyone involved," said board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić.
From the U19s and U17s to the reserves
This move is also made possible by the increasingly likely discontinuation of the domestic youth season, which means that Schwarz/Demichelis are already available for their new task. This season, Demichelis has coached the U19s and Schwarz the U17s. "In addition, Danny recently completed his last written exam as part of the DFB course to become a football coach, so he's no longer committed to spending time there. I'm pleased that both of them can now take over our U23s ahead of schedule, get to know the team even more intensively and also be more involved in the planning for the coming season," said head of the FC Bayern Campus Jochen Sauer.
"I enjoy being on the pitch as a coach, but the tasks as coach of the U23s in the 3rd division and the complex task as sporting director have demanded everything of me personally. Especially now, when planning for the 21/22 season is in full swing at all levels, it's necessary for me to be able to fully focus again on the upcoming important decisions in my leadership role," said Holger Seitz.
Seitz in the dugout against Lübeck
Consequently, Seitz will take his place in the Bayern dugout for the last time as coach of the reserves on Saturday. Ahead of the home match against second-bottom VfB Lübeck, the record champions' reserves are in 15th place. "We wish the new coaching staff every success from the game against Ingolstadt onwards and are convinced the team will gain further positive momentum for the rest of the season," said Sauer.
Seitz's successors Schwarz and Demichelis had already served as joint coaches of the U19s at the campus in the 2019/2020 campaign, before they each took responsibility for leading their own respective teams this season. Along with Stefan Buck, they'll now work side by side again sooner than planned and reunite with many of the players they've already coached in their previous roles.
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