Union Berlin has relieved Croatian manager Nenad Bjelica (52) of his duties and appointed Marco Grote (51) as the interim coach, the Bundesliga club announced on Monday.
The decision comes after a winless streak that has left the team just one point above the relegation zone.
Bjelica was appointed as the replacement for Urs Fischer in November last year, when the team was languishing in 17th place.
Despite their efforts, Union Berlin has slipped to 15th in the standings after suffering four defeats in their last five matches, with only two games remaining in the season.
Grote, who previously served as a youth coach for the club’s Under-19s, had also stepped in as interim coach for Union Berlin back in November.
“I’m looking forward to the task and am convinced that we’ll manage to avoid relegation. I know our team well and know that if we join forces, we are capable of picking up the necessary points,” Grote said in a statement.
Union announced that assistant coach Marie-Louise Eta, the Bundesliga’s first female coach, will retain her role.
The team’s next fixture is against fellow relegation-threatened side FC Koln on Saturday, followed by their final match of the campaign at home against seventh-placed Freiburg on May 18th.