Uwe Lehmann joined Lichtenberg 47 in 2007, Benjamin Plötz a year later. Plötz had to retire early in 2011 due to injury, first became team manager and later sports director in the club. In 2013, when he was in his early 30s, Lehmann took over as coach of what was then the top division club. The two have been friends for a long time – and have been largely responsible for the successes of recent years. Lichtenberg is currently playing for the fourth season in a row in the Northeast Regional Football League.
Since this season, however, there has been a big difference from before: Uwe Lehmann is no longer there. He had already expressed the idea last year, says Plötz.
In the spring, a few days before Lehmann’s 40th birthday, the club made the official announcement. “An era comes to an end,” read the headline. “It’s just time,” said Lehmann, “I haven’t had any free afternoons or weekends for almost 35 years.”
So there is only one left of the successful duo Lehmann/Ploetz. The 35-year-old Plötz fully understands this: “I could totally understand it. He shaped the team and the club as a coach for almost a decade.”
Lehmann’s successor is Murat Tik, 48. “I’ve known him for a long time and work very closely with him, just as I did with Uwe before. Murat is great as a human being and has a high level of technical expertise,” says Plötz. For Tik, who was previously with the upper division Hertha 06, it is the first stop in the regional league. The other positions in the coaching staff have also been filled.
There were changes not only off the pitch. For Lichtenberg conditions, an unusually large number of players left the team. Sometimes they ended their careers, sometimes they wanted to change sport. Like Tarik Gozusirin. The top scorer of the 47ers last season now plays for VfB Lübeck, the leaders of the Regionalliga Nord.
The magnitude of our upheaval was not planned, but it became apparent early on.
Benjamin Plötz, Sports Director
“Our upheaval was not planned on this scale, but it became apparent early on,” says Plötz, who brought in almost a dozen new players. One of the few experienced additions is Efraim Gakpeto from SC Staaken. There he was successful 17 times in the Oberliga last season. Now he is playing in the regional league for the first time at the age of 30 and has already scored four goals.
However, most of the newcomers are only in their early 20s or younger. One is Niklas Kaus, 19, who played for a long time in the youth team of 1. FC Union. Most recently, Kaus saved a point at Babelsberg 03 with the goal to make it 2-2.
After seven games, Lichtenberg is in 14th place with six points, elsewhere this intermediate result would be registered with concern. Ploetz says: “At the moment I’m very satisfied.” Because of the big changes before the season. And because of the mostly decent performance. The curve has pointed upwards again in the last two games.
On Sunday, ZFC Meuselwitz, tied on points, will come to the Hans-Zoschke-Stadion (1 p.m.). Meuselwitz is very likely one of the opponents who are also fighting to stay up in the league. That’s what Lichtenberg is all about again this season. “We want to leave at least four teams behind us,” says Plötz. So many teams may have to go down. How many exactly depends on the number of third division relegated from the NOFV area and whether the Northeast champions prevail in the games against the champions from Bavaria.
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Lichtenberg has scored 47 points so far this season.
The clubs in the Northeast season together have more than 200 seasons in the GDR Oberliga. With Lok Leipzig and Carl Zeiss Jena, even former European Cup finalists are playing, as well as GDR record champions BFC Dynamo and several former national and second division clubs.
Many clubs are currently involved in an initiative that wants to reform the controversial promotion scheme. Also Lichtenberg 47. “That will certainly not affect us. But whoever finishes first must be rewarded for it,” says Plötz.
Overall, the heavyweights of the league naturally have completely different ambitions than Meuselwitz, FSV Luckenwalde or Lichtenberg. Even semi-professional conditions are a long way off, says Plötz. In no other league in Germany is the range as wide as in the regional leagues.
After promotion in 2019, he described his club as a top division club that is a guest in the regional league. A good three years later, the guest is still there. And the way you see yourself has changed a bit. Plötz sums it up as follows: “We’re not permanent guests yet, but we’re part of the regional league and we want to stay that way.”
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Source: Tagesspiegel
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