Swiss Lustrinelli appointed Union Berlin coach

Union Berlin have signed Mauro Lustrinelli as their new coach from next season onwards.

Union said on Thursday that Lustrinelli will start on July 1, without giving any further details such as contract length.

Lustrinelli arrives from Swiss club Thun where he had a contract until 2028. Union reportedly had to pay close to €1 million ($1.16 million) to get him.

Swiss national Lustrinelli, 50, led promoted Thun to a stunning title in the Swiss league this season. He was previously Swiss under-21 national team coach.

Lustrinelli was Union's top candidate to take over for the new season after a 11th-place finish in the Bundesliga.

Steffen Baumgart had to go last month and Marie-Louise Eta oversaw the last five season games, making her the first woman in charge of a men's team in a European top league. Eta will move on to coach Union's women's team.

"Mauro Lustrinelli has shown in the past years how he can shape and develop teams. The championship with a promoted team shows his quality but also his ability to lead and excite a group," managing director for sport Horst Heldt said.

"We want to play in a more active way, integrate young players and be successful together."

Lustrinelli said: "Union are a special club with clear values and honest people. We can be successful together with unity, passion, courage and honest work.

Union have had a Swiss coach before, with Urs Fischer in charge between 2018 and 2023. He led them into the Bundesliga in 2019 and into the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in 2023.

Lustrinelli was Fischer's assistant at Thun in 2013.