WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Dieter Hecking has initially received a contract with VfL Wolfsburg only until the end of the season. The 61-year-old is tasked with saving the Lower Saxony side from relegation from the Bundesliga. Currently sitting second to last in the table, the VW-owned club is already four points adrift of the relegation play-off spot. The club parted ways with coach Daniel Bauer and sporting director Peter Christiansen on Sunday.
"Right now, it is only about VfL Wolfsburg," Hecking said during his presentation. The experienced coach will be supported by former Wolfsburg star goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The 42-year-old, currently a member of the club's supervisory board, will act as a link between the team and management, providing Hecking with the necessary support in the coming weeks. Benaglio won the German championship with VfL Wolfsburg in 2009 and lifted the DFB-Pokal in 2015 under Hecking's leadership.
Key role for Benaglio
"We have asked Diego Benaglio to move even closer to the team. He is to complete the sporting leadership group," said Supervisory Board Chairman Sebastian Rudolph. Benaglio thus shares responsibility alongside Hecking and Sporting Director Pirmin Schwegler. "He is essentially returning to the pitch so that Dieter Hecking and Pirmin Schwegler can focus exactly on what they were brought in to do."
Hecking previously served in Wolfsburg from 2013 to 2016 and won the DFB-Pokal in 2015. "I had my most successful time as a coach here," Hecking said. The 61-year-old is well aware of the difficulty of the task. "Calling it delicate is a nice way to put it. The situation is not good. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."/lar/DP/zb
