Jena, 30.04.2026. The contractual future of coach Volkan Uluc at FC Carl Zeiss Jena has been clarified. Should the targeted promotion to the 3. Liga be missed this season, the club and the coach will part ways in the summer.
- What: Imminent separation from coach Volkan Uluc
- Condition: Takes effect in case of failure to promote to the 3. Liga
- Club: FC Carl Zeiss Jena (Regionalliga Nordost)
- Current situation: Remaining in the Regionalliga is currently considered very likely
Signs point to departure in summer
At the traditional Thuringian club, signals clearly point to a personnel restart on the sidelines. The cooperation between FC Carl Zeiss Jena and head coach Volkan Uluc will not be extended beyond the current season if the major season goal – the return to professional football – is missed. Since the jump to the 3. Liga is considered extremely unlikely at this point in the season, the sporting management must look for a new coach in the long term.
Uluc himself indirectly confirmed the developments, stating that the Regionalliga in the coming season would require „a different constellation.“ Observers see this as a clear indication of the upcoming cut, which is likely to affect both the coaching staff and the squad.
Background: The tough battle in the Regionalliga
FC Carl Zeiss Jena has been fighting intensively for a permanent return to German professional football since its last relegation. However, the Regionalliga Nordost is considered a bottleneck: the high density of traditional East German clubs makes the league extremely demanding in sporting terms. Furthermore, the sometimes controversial promotion regulations to the 3. Liga (with regular relegation play-offs) complicate the direct path upward.
FCC plays its home matches in the completely modernized Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld directly on the Saale. Experience shows that another year in the fourth division means not only sporting stagnation for the club but also requires economic adjustments, making regular personnel upheavals almost inevitable.
Source:
Carl Zeiss Jena: Coach Uluc gone if promotion fails
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