COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Cologne is turning to promotion specialist Friedhelm Funkel to lead the team back to the Bundesliga which is second in Germany’s second division fired Gerhard Struber as coach on Monday and appointed the 71-year-old Funkel for the last two games of the season It’s Funkel’s third stint in charge at Cologne and his first job since leading Kaiserslautern to the German Cup final last season Funkel has led six teams to Bundesliga promotion – more than any other Cologne was leading the second division with four matches remaining, then lost at Hannover before drawing at home with relegated Jahn Regensburg, which allowed Hamburger SV move top on Saturday The top two are promoted to the Bundesliga Cologne has a three-point lead over third-place Elversberg before it plays Nuremberg and Kaiserslautern for its final two games “Given the big remaining chance of a direct return we have to do everything to take this chance,” Cologne president Werner Wolf said Funkel was relegated from the Bundesliga with Cologne in 2003 during his first stint then clinched survival in 2021 during his second His third will be his 14th coaching appointment after jobs at Neuss, Uerdingen, Duisburg, Rostock, Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt Financially crippled KFC Uerdingen ceased operations fueled by player willingness to continue playing a name synonymous with German football history has ceased operations due to crippling financial woes delivered by insolvency administrator Thomas Ellrich on April 22 sent shockwaves through the Regionalliga West leaving players released and the club's future hanging in the balance This article explores the club's dramatic downfall and the ongoing fight to resurrect this German football legend The club's non-profit status revocation The 0:2 defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf II proved to be their final match leaving the club unable to cover operational costs This decision has significant implications for the promotion race who are now poised for promotion to the 3rd Liga pending official confirmation the insolvency administrator aims to restructure the club and facilitate a restart in the Oberliga next season A viable plan is being developed to establish a solid financial foundation and rebuild the team This ambitious goal requires a complete overhaul of the club's structure and a renewed commitment from supporters and investors the decision to cease operations hasn't been universally accepted within the club Advisor Mehmet Eser revealed that players were willing to forgo salaries to complete the season highlighting a disconnect between the administration's decision and the players' dedication Legal action has been initiated to challenge the insolvency administrator's decision with Eser even offering to cover the costs of upcoming matches KFC Uerdingen's history boasts memorable moments including their 1985 DFB-Pokal victory as Bayer Uerdingen decades of financial instability and relegation have culminated in this latest crisis but the determination to preserve its legacy fuels hopes for a successful comeback The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether this iconic club can rise from the ashes or if this marks the final chapter of a storied history ceased operations due to severe financial problems and insolvency They were playing in Regionalliga West but face a potential restart in the lower Oberliga The club's financial crisis stemmed from long-term mismanagement and unsustainable spending leading to mounting debts and ultimately insolvency The exact details are still emerging but point towards a lack of financial planning and control There are plans for KFC Uerdingen to restart in the Oberliga this depends on overcoming legal challenges related to player contracts and debts The willingness of players to continue with the club also plays a significant role KFC Uerdingen was competing in the Regionalliga West a fifth-tier league in the German football pyramid Their potential restart in the Oberliga would represent a significant drop in league status The club faces legal complexities surrounding outstanding debts Resolving these issues is crucial for a successful restart Negotiations with creditors and players are key to overcoming these challenges All trademarks are the property of their respective owners All rights reserved @ 2025 Nishtya Infotech (India) Ltd A FOOTBALL club has been declared bankrupt - with all players released immediately despite offering to play for free Fourth-tier German side KFC Uerdingen will not be able to finish the 2024/25 season an insolvency administrator ordered the immediate suspension of play Thomas Ellrich declared that operations must be ceased so that players can apply for benefits The administrator said: "At the same time all players have been released from their duties as of today so they can apply for appropriate benefits from the employment agency there will be no further matches until the end of the season." Club officials have therefore been unable to pay staff and players. They also cannot accept volunteers in a blow to any hopes of keeping the club running. Ellrich continued: "The revocation of non-profit status means that fewer, if any, donations of money and goods can be expected in the future. it would make employing volunteers considerably more difficult "The significant funds recently provided by supporters have since been exhausted KFC Uerdingen has been immediately relegated from the Regionalliga KFC consultant Mehmet Eser was left shocked by the decision and told German outlet Kicker: "After the team learned that the season was being suspended the players agreed to forgo their salaries until the end of the season and play for KFC Uerdingen for free." Eser has also agreed to personally cover the cost of every league match until the end of the season Uerdingen formerly played in the Bundesliga and enjoyed plenty of success in the 1980s The German minnows reached the Cup Winners Cup semi-final in 1986, where they faced Atletico Madrid And they completed one of European football's most famous comebacks on the way to doing it The club were beaten 2-0 away to Dynamo Dresden And they found themselves 3-1 down at half time of the second leg before coming back in the second half to go through in a staggering 7-3 triumph which saw them run out 7-5 aggregate winners Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match Have scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches Have scored 7 goals in their last 5 matches SC Paderborn 07 II is playing home against KFC Uerdingen on Fri What do Brian Laudrup, Oliver Bierhoff and Aílton have in common They’ve all played for a club that now plays his football in the 3 Uerdingen is a little-known side with a rather interesting history in German football and can be considered one of the sleeping giants of the domestic game That the club still has plenty of ambition could be seen in this summer’s transfer window On 5 July it was announced that Kevin Grosskreutz had signed a three-year contract with the team from Krefeld The 2014 German world champion is going to play in the third tier of German football for a club that has just been promoted from the Regionalliga but I can’t describe why I have this perception Growing up in the Netherlands with the Eredivisie I’ve always been envious of the passion of German football lovers In my early teens I discovered the treasure of Germany and their dedication to the sport we all love I began to discover the gems of German football specifically those from the NordRhein-Westfalen state The obvious choices are to visit the footballing giants like Borussia Dortmund NordRhein-Westfalen isn’t short of professional clubs and it’s a groundhoppers haven to visit I visited several clubs in NordRhein-Westfalen but I never really thought of going to the lower leagues That is until my friend posed the question: “Have you ever been to Krefeld?” Krefeld is a city in NordRhein-Westfalen with approximately 222.500 inhabitants and lies between Düsseldorf and Duisburg I’d heard about the city before but rarely paid attention to the local club there was a team playing in the sixth tier of German football I knew precious little of lower league football but the experience of visiting KFC Uerdingen changed that overnight Read  |  Delusions of grandeur: why the downfall of 1860 Munich is a case for Germany’s 50+1 rule It became apparent to me that this was a fallen giant The reason why I hadn’t heard about KFC Uerdingen before had everything to do with their name They were called Bayer Uerdingen some years earlier I was intrigued by the prospect of discovering a former big name of German football It felt like visiting Preston North End or Nottingham Forest KFC Uerdingen were founded in November 1905 as Fußball-Club Uerdingen an era in which the game was blossoming in NordRhein-Westfalen Borussia Mönchengladbach were founded in 1900 including Sportvereinigung des Realgymnasiums Uerdingen and VfB 1910 Uerdingen largely because regional power balances were shifting with their name remaining as FC Uerdingen 1905 It changed again in 1953 –  a year before the 1954 miracle of West Germany triumphing at the World Cup – when they merged with the workers’ club of AG Bayern during which they reached the height of their powers Bayer Uerdingen mainly played in the lower leagues during the 1950s and 60s but slowly progressed up the pyramid in the 70s A strong season in 1974/75 saw them finish in second place earning them promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history they were relegated the next season and were bound to the 2 with a DFB-Pokal run in 1977 only halted by the power of Hertha BSC the rise in the latter part of the decade would lead to their greatest glories through the 1980s Read  |  Eleven Pigs and the secret police: the story of BFC Dynamo they would drop down again in 1981 before returning for a prolonged period and shaking off their yo-yo tag – at least temporarily – in 1983 The proof of their development came in 1985 when they reached the Pokal final for the first time in their history squaring off against the mighty Bayern Munich The final was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin with 70.000 spectators seeing Uerdingen clinch the title with thanks to a 2-1 win It marked the zenith of their time in the domestic game Winning the DFB-Pokal also meant they qualified for the Cup Winners’ Cup. Making their debut in Europe, Uerdingen managed to get to the semi-finals, surprising much of the continent with their forward-thinking, progressive football. Along the way, they beat Cercle Brugge, HJK Helsinki and East German giants Dynamo Dresden before being ousted by Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals The two games against Dresden were special affairs The first leg finished 2-0 to the East German side – who were considered one of the favourites for the title – with many predicting their safe passage to the semis provided one of the biggest shocks in German football history Up 3-1 at the half-time in the second leg After 90 minutes the score was 7-3 as the West Germans progressed it remains the greatest match in the club’s history While the 1980s are considered the most successful decade in the history of Uerdingen the 20 years following it would be troubling for all involved they flitted between the first and second tiers rarely able to assert themselves in the top-flight and suffering The 1980s quickly seemed like a lifetime ago Read  |  Remembering Dynamo Dresden: the fallen giant of East German football Key to their demise was the withdrawal of their main sponsor who decided to focus their investment at Leverkusen but their demise wasn’t complete just yet they found themselves in the sixth tier of German football German football’s amateur ranks had a fallen giant to witness Subsequent financial woes continued to trouble the club until the 2010/11 season offered the hope of a new dawn It would be a campaign in which they’d catapult themselves to relevance once again Uerdingen were promoted to the Oberliga Niederrhein in 2011 and then reached the Regionalliga as champions in 2013 Their stay in the Regionalliga – the fourth tier – was brief with a relegation in 2015 suggesting that their days as a yo-yo club had returned the professional tiers seemed unattainable But that’s where football provides us with such great stories; where the impossible suddenly becomes distinctly possible Uerdingen attracted new owners and the added investment saw them promoted in both 2017 and 2018 Liga after a long absence and becoming a professional club once again Ahead of the new season, KFC Uerdingen will play in the third tier alongside clubs like 1860 Munich, Karlsruher, Carl Zeiss Jena all former Bundesliga clubs who once held some form of power in the domestic game From the sixth tier to the third in less than a decade is perhaps not the most captivating story, but it’s only the beginning. With the signing of Grosskreutz, Uerdingen will be looking to emulate the likes of RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim in the rise through the German football pyramid It has taken them two decades but KFC Uerdingen are back By Marc Lamberts @lambertsmarc Supporter group Red Faction had helped facilitate the event in Oberhausen - Middlesbrough's twin town - between Boro's development side and the senior teams of hosts Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and fellow German outfits KFC Uerdingen 05 and Wuppertaler SV The event was to celebrate the 120-year anniversary of Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and they were Boro's first opponents of the day Max Howells netting our equaliser in a 1-1 draw.  Boro also drew 1-1 with Wuppertaler SV thanks to a goal from recently-signed Hazeem Bakre while our final match was a 2-0 defeat to KFC Uerdingen 05 It was an all-Bayern affair down to the final minutes as loanee Franck Evina kept KFC in striking distance of an equalizer Bayern II clinched its first win of the season in a tense battle of youth against age holding off a late rally by a ten-man KFC Uerdingen in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory Though decimated by a string of early injuries — including highly regarded American center-back Chris Richards (ankle) and captain Nicolas Feldhahn (muscular) among several others — Bayern II still fielded a starting lineup that had KFC on its heels through most of the first half Oliver Batista Meier was the single biggest standout: already in the 10th minute of the game after Bayern shook off some initial jitters Batista Meier dribbled deep into KFC’s penalty area dashing between two defenders into a one on one with KFC’s keeper Königshofer His subsequent shot from a very tight angle just glanced off the far post Batista Meier put Kwasi “Otschi” Wriedt through to a one-on-one of his own but Wriedt took a split second too long with the ball to score making good a spoiled chance moments before when he wasted a perfect pass by Marcel Zylla by chipping it off of rather than over Königshofer’s head After Batista Meier won a free kick outside the box acting captain Maximilian Welzmüller caught KFC sleeping: while the players were still milling around he takes the free kick and finds Wriedt completely unmarked Wriedt scores before KFC knows what is happening KFC’s coach Heiko Vogel had some choice words for his boys during the following water break by the look of it KFC responded in kind with some swift attacks. One of the most promising was a well-taken cross by former Borussia Dortmund man Kevin Großkreutz to Stefan Aigner that the latter could not head down KFC suffered a critical setback when central midfielder Dennis Daube was sent off with a yellow-red card for a late tackle on Timo Kern But before Bayern could capitalize on its advantage a carelessly conceded free kick turns into luck for KFC who delivers a perfect cross inside to none other than Bayern II loanee Franck Evina Evina headed the ball into the net spectacularly at the far post Großkreutz saw a yellow card later in the second half for confronting Wriedt and striking him with the ball Bayern piled on the pressure in the second half while KFC hung back looking for a chance to counter they were only frustrated: Joshua Zirkzee missed a cross from Batista Meier; Zylla made a nice back-heel pass to Kern Bayern spun another set-piece into gold: they play a corner short and pass the ball to Batista Meier positioned near the left corner of KFC’s penalty area He fires a rocket of a shot through KFC’s lines and into the net: Oliver Batista-Meier‘s first goal in professional football. Many more to come. #FCBAmateure #FCBFCK pic.twitter.com/GxUOrPVjtO Bayern fails to add on and KFC remains in the game After a string of substitutions in the final 20-15 minutes of the game KFC looked much more dangerous than their ten men would suggest while it was Bayern that was scrambling on defense They created several chances in the dying minutes of the game and the most spectacular with just a minute remaining: Aigner gained possession of the ball in the left side of Bayern’s penalty area and fired a fine shot at the far corner: it flies past Früchtl but a perfectly positioned Lars Lukas Mai parried the shot on the line Bayern’s first victory in the 3.Liga was secure Lukas Mai's last minute clearance to deny Uerdingen's equalizer today [ @WaldeBM]pic.twitter.com/e4J8NPwQgt both Batista Meier and Evina commented on each other’s goals in an entertaining post-match interview Batista Meier whispered something amusing in his friend’s ear while the moderator was speaking but he declined to reveal what he had said for the camera It was announced that 2,164 people attended this highly entertaining match The Bayern faithful maintained a great atmosphere with song and chants throughout Bayern II will play Hansa Rostock away next Tuesday at 3pm (ET) / 9pm (CET) #FCBAmateure #MiaSanMia #FCBKFC pic.twitter.com/1ud14gPaei is now suing his current employer KFC Uerdingen over salary payments.