The season in the Regionalliga Nordost ended with a minor incident. Chemie Leipzig’s coach, Alexander Schmidt (57), criticized his colleague Rico Schmitt (47) after a 0:1 defeat against FSV Zwickau. Schmidt expressed frustration that Schmitt arrived late for the press conference, saying, “Zwickau is a great club, but the coach is disrespectful.”
Schmidt, who had waited five minutes for his Zwickau counterpart, left the press conference room visibly frustrated, as reported by Tag24 and Freie Presse. Shortly after, FSV coach Schmitt appeared, showing no understanding for Schmidt’s reaction. Schmitt stated, “In my 25 years as a professional coach, I have also had to wait longer because there was something to discuss. That’s just how it is.”
Regarding Schmidt, Schmitt further commented, “He is a very experienced second-division coach who is currently sweeping dust here, and he should be prepared for some waiting time. The bus is still down there, I can see that. Maybe he had to take the train – I don’t know.” The Leipzig team bus only left 20 minutes after the end of the press conference.
Zwickau coach Rico Schmitt (57) was all smiles after the victory over Leipzig. The team now prepares for the cup final against Aue.
Despite the feud with his coaching colleague, Schmitt was more focused on the team’s success. With a 1:0 victory over Chemie Leipzig, FSV finished the season in third place. Schmitt praised the team’s achievement of 64 points and thanked everyone involved.
However, the season is not over for Zwickau, as they face Erzgebirge Aue in the State Cup final. Schmitt mentioned, “We have a wonderful week ahead of us. It couldn’t be easier.” Zwickau enters the final as the underdog, with the pressure primarily on Aue.
