Erik Gerets resigns as Wolves coach

Erik Gerets (51) has resigned as coach at VfL Wolfsburg, the club announced on Saturday (28.05.05). The Belgian will not fulfil his contract which was due to expire at the end of next season. The announcement was made following an extraordinary board meeting: "We regret this decision, because we had been hoping to do well next season with a successful partnership between Erik Gerets and our sport director Thomas Strunz," explained the Wolfsburg board member Lothar Sander.

"We do however respect his decision and we would like to wish Erik Gerets all the best for his personal and professional future," added Sander.

Gerets: "Thanks fans!"

Erik Gerets: "It was a difficult decision to make. As I joined Wolfsburg 14 months ago, they were on the verge of relegation, which we managed to avoid. Then we played a sensational first half of the season, during which we topped the Bundesliga for eight rounds. I have several reasons for resigning, but won’t put the blame on anyone in particular. I would especially like to thank the Wolves fans who are super!"

Much-travelled coach

Gerets joined the Wolves from Kaiserslautern on April 4th 2004, taking over from Jürgen Röber. After winning away to Bielefeld, the Wolves managed to qualify for the Intertoto Cup by finishing 9th in the Bundesliga table. Gerets counts FC Lüttich, Lierse SK, den FC Brüges and PSV Eindhoven among his former clubs.

We at vfl-wolfsburg.de would like to thank Erik Gerets for his tireless effort at the club and wish him all the very best for the future.