With standing ovations and a precious designer watch, Pal Dardai has been bid farewell as head coach of Hertha BSC. The 43-year-old Hungarian received several minutes of applause at the general meeting on Sunday from the Berlin fans, who, like the presidium and the supervisory board, had risen from their seats.
Sport Managing Director Michael Preetz presented Dardai and his assistant Admir Hamzagic with a watch as a thank you for four and a half years in office. “It wasn’t so easy to find them because he had chosen a really great piece,” said Preetz, who had fought “one or two battles” with Dardai, and praised Preetz: “Hertha is a stable Bundesliga team today, and that’s undoubtedly a merit of Pal Dardai and his coaching team.
Preetz emphasized once again that Hertha’s record player would return to the club after a year off as a youth coach. “Fill up on some sunshine, recharge your batteries, and then I’ll be happy to see you again at Hertha in summer 2020,” Preetz said to Dardai.
Dardai, who had shown little emotion against Bayer Leverkusen (“I don’t feel anything”) after the 1:5 at the end of the season on Saturday, also seemed calm on Sunday. The Hungarian, however, sincerely thanked the fans “for the support, without which I would not have been here for four and a half years”.
Also Fabian Lustenberger was bid farewell, the captain of many years received as a gift a suitcase, which one should have according to a proverb always in Berlin. After twelve years with Hertha, Lustenberger returned to his Swiss home at the Young Boys Bern.
After a weak second half of the season, the Berliners had declared about a month ago that they were planning to play with a new coach in the coming season.
