Hoffenheim coach Stevens resigns due to health reasons

Hoffenheim, currently in 17th place in the Bundesliga table, confirmed on Wednesday the 62-year-old Huub Stevens had handed in his resignation, citing health reasons.

"We were surprised," Hoffenheim's media director Christian Frommert told the DPA news agency.

The nature of Stevens' health problem was not revealed.

Stevens' resignation ends a short and unsuccessful spell at the club, which began when he replaced Markus Gisdol, when he was sacked back in October due to Hoffenheim's poor start to the campaign.

Instead of the change in fortune that management had hoped for, Stevens leaves Hoffenheim in second-last place in the table - the same position they were in when he took over. Now, though, Hoffenheim are in even more trouble, as they are now seven points from the safety of 15th place, compared to having been just two off the mark when Gisdol was fired. In the 10 games Hoffenheim played under Stevens, the team collected just eight points, including just one win. His final game at the helm was Sunday's 2-0 home defeat at the hands of newly promoted Darmstadt.

It was not immediately clear who would take over from Stevens, whose contract only runs until the end of this season. Hoffenheim have already appointed a coach for next season. If the team manages to avoid the drop, current under-19 coach Julian Nagelsmann will become the youngest coach in Bundesliga history at just 28 years of age. Nagelsmann is slated to take over on July, 1, after he has completed his coaching qualifications.

pfd/ (SID, dpa)