Football: Stevens quits after keeping Stuttgart up again

Huub Stevens will leave VfB Stuttgart after fulfilling his contract to keep them in the Bundesliga for the second year running, their sports director Robin Dutt confirmed Sunday.

Stuttgart’s 2-1 win at Paderborn on Saturday on the final day of the season lifted them from amongst the relegation places up into 14th to avoid their first relegation since 1975 as Stevens kept them up for the second year in succession.

Stuttgart earned their third straight league win with goals by Daniel Didavi and Daniel Ginczek after bottom side Paderborn, who were relegated by the defeat, had taken an early lead.

Dutt told German sports show Doppelpass that Stevens will leave and a press conference has been called for Monday with Alexander Zorniger, who coached RB Leipzig from the fourth to the second division, tipped to take over.

The 61-year-old Stevens took charge last November with Stuttgart 16th in Germany’s top flight after Armin Veh, who had steered them to the 2007 German league title, resigned and the Dutchman had a contract only until this June.

It was the second time Stevens has come to Stuttgart’s rescue after doing the same in the 2013/14 season when Thomas Schneider, current Germany’s assistant coach under Joachim Loew, was sacked in March last year with Stuttgart just above the relegation places.