ETV Hamburg: A whole team leaves the club

It is a sad state of affairs at seventh division amateur side ETV Hamburg then the coaching staff and all players have resigned from the club ahead of one of the biggest matches in the history of the club.

ETV Hamburg is an unknown side in their own city compared to Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli, but now they are getting some national coverage as they qualified for the German Cup (DFB Pokal) by winning the local Hamburg Cup. In the first round of the German Cup they will face 2.Bundesliga side SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

This game will bring the club 110,000 Euros in income, an incredible amount of money for a lower division side. The club management had worked out a formula with the team that 50% of the money would go to the players, while the other 50% would be used to finance a new artificial turf at the ETV Sports Complex.

But the coaches and players demanded as much as 75% of the money as they say we got the club into the German Cup so they deserve more of the money, while the clubs management stand is clear that they need the money for infrastructure development.

"We feel betrayed and blackmailed," coach Dennis Mitteregger had said. Mitteregger and the players withdrew their names as of June 30 from the roaster of the club, now ETV Hamburg is in search for new players not only to play the German Cup game but also the whole season.

The club president Frank Fechner says, "The club sees no opportunity to work together with this coach and these players any more."

A solution in this impasse looks unlikely.