Heidenheim's CEO Holger Sanwald speaks during an interview ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Heidenheim and FC Augsburg in Voith-Arena. Harry Langer/dpaDPAThu, November 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM UTC·1 min readHeidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald has backed long-time coach Frank Schmidt despite a bad start into the Bundesliga season with just five points from 11 matches and last place in the table.
"He has our full support," Sanwald told a news conference on Thursday ahead of Saturday's game at Union Berlin.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHeidenheim are in their third season in the top flight and Schmidt has been in charge since 2007 when the club was in the fourth tier.
While backing Schmidt, Sanwald said the players must prove their worth in the remaining games before the winter break and the January transfer window where he said new players could arrive.
"We need new impetus. But we'll first see whether the lads can promote themselves in the four games before the break. Otherwise, they may have another competitor in January," Sanwald said.
Heidenheim lost their last two matches 6-0 at Bayer Leverkusen and 3-0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. They have lost all matches away from home before the trip to Berlin.
Schmidt meanwhile tried to instil confidence, saying: "We mustn't sink into self-pity, but must be ready to take matters into our own hands."
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