Hertha Berlin hired Sandro Schwarz as its new coach on Thursday after narrowly escaping relegation from the Bundesliga.
Schwarz is the latest in a string of coaches tasked with bridging the gulf between Hertha’s grand ambitions of establishing itself as a major European club and its years of underachievement on the field.
Despite the backing of wealthy investor Lars Windhorst, Hertha finished 16th in the Bundesliga and only escaped the drop by beating second-tier Hamburger SV 2-1 on aggregate in a two-leg playoff last week under veteran coach Felix Magath, who was hired to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, cross-city rival Union Berlin placed fifth with one of the league’s smallest budgets.
“With his personality and his positive and forward-thinking style of football, Sandro can create a connection between what happens out on the pitch and the club culture. That is what we need at Hertha BSC,” the club’s managing director for sport Fredi Bobic said in a statement.
Schwarz arrives after coaching Russian club Dynamo Moscow, where he stayed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even as fellow German coach Markus Gisdol left Lokomotiv Moscow in protest and Daniel Farke quit FC Krasnodar.
Schwarz took Dynamo to third in the Russian league and runner-up in the Russian Cup final on Sunday. That didn’t earn Dynamo a spot in any European competitions for next season because UEFA has barred Russian teams over the invasion of Ukraine.
Schwarz is better known in the Bundesliga for coaching Mainz from 2017 through 2019, with a best finish of 12th.
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