André Breitenreiter is the new head coach of third-division soccer club FC Hansa Rostock. The club announced that the supervisory board, the executive board, and the sports management had agreed on the 52-year-old as the successor to Daniel Brinkmann, who was relieved of his duties a week ago. Breitenreiter had been “FC Hansa’s top choice from the very beginning,” the statement said. No details were provided regarding the length of the contract. The Mecklenburg-based team is currently sixth in the standings after seven matchdays. Following Brinkmann’s departure, the club had recorded one win (3–2 against VfB Stuttgart II) and one draw (1–1 at Rot-Weiss Essen) in its last two games under interim coach Yannic Thiel. The goal is promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga. On Thursday, the team will train for the first time under the new coach. Their first official match is scheduled for October 3 (2:00 p.m.) in the state cup against SV Gützkow. “André Breitenreiter has a wealth of experience in German professional soccer and has faced a wide variety of sporting situations throughout his career,” said soccer director Amir Shapourzadeh. “In our discussions, we found that his soccer philosophy aligns very closely with ours.” Breitenreiter said: “I sense positive energy here and want to do my part with full commitment to help us open a successful new chapter together.” Most recently, he coached Hannover 96 through April 2025. His greatest coaching achievements were promotions to the Bundesliga in 2014 with SC Paderborn and in 2017 with Hannover 96, as well as winning the Swiss championship with FC Zurich. He also coached Schalke 04, TSG Hoffenheim, and Huddersfield Town, which was then in the English second division. As a player, the former forward played for Hannover 96, Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg, and SpVgg Unterhaching. In 1992, he won the DFB Cup with Hannover 96 while the team was in the second division. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reservedNew Head Coach with Extensive Experience
Achievements: Two Bundesliga promotions and the Swiss championship
