Werder Bremen head coach Markus Anfang resigns after fake COVID-19 vaccine allegations
In a statement, Werder Bremen have confirmed that head coach Markus Anfang and his assistant manager Florian Junge have resigned after allegations of a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. This comes just days after Anfang’s statement, where he confirmed that he has been vaccinated.
With Werder Bremen relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of the 2020/21 season, the club appointed Markus Anfang as their head coach for the start of the 2.Bundesliga term. But while Anfang hasn’t set the world on fire at Bremen, the German side are amongst the favourites to make the top three, with them just four points off third place. However, things took a turn on Thursday when reports indicated that Anfang had been using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
The head coach denied those claims later in the day, as revealed by a statement on Werder Bremen’s website, but the club has now confirmed that Anfang has resigned. The statement, released on the club’s website, revealed that both the 47-year-old and his assistant coach, Florian Junge, have stepped down because of the investigation against both coaches. Bremen also confirmed that U19 head coach Christian Brand will step in as assistant manager while Danjiel Zenkovic is the interim manager.
“At SV Werder Bremen, head coach Markus Anfang and assistant coach Florian Junge resigned from their offices with immediate effect. The reason for the decision are public prosecutor's investigations against both coaches and the resulting unrest in and around the club,” reads the statement on the club’s website.
Anfang also released a statement where he confirmed that he was stepping down because of the “extremely stressful situation” for everyone involved.
“Due to the extremely stressful situation for the club, the team, my family and myself, I have decided that I will end my job as Werder Bremen's head coach with immediate effect. I have therefore asked the responsible persons to terminate my contract immediately, and they have granted this request. I wish Werder against Schalke today and maximum success in the future,” Anfang told Werder Bremen’s website.
Cheftrainer Markus Anfang und Co-Trainer Florian Junge sind mit sofortiger Wirkung von ihren Ämtern beim SV #Werder zurückgetreten.
— SV Werder Bremen (@werderbremen) November 20, 2021
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