Coronavirus: Augsburg coach Herrlich to be absent for Bundesliga return after rule breach

Augsburg boss Heiko Herrlich

Augsburg have announced coach Heiko Herrlich will not be present when they face Wolfsburg on Saturday after he breached coronavirus restrictions.

Herrlich admitted to leaving the team hotel on Thursday, which is not allowed due to the rules in place ahead of the Bundesliga's resumption behind closed doors.

This weekend's game was due to be the former Germany international's first in charge of Augsburg, having been appointed by the club on March 10.

However, he will now have to stay away from his squad and coaching staff until recording two negative COVID-19 test results, as per instructions for all teams in Germany's top flight.

"I made a mistake by leaving the hotel. Even if I have followed all hygiene measures both when leaving the hotel and otherwise, I cannot undo this," Herrlich said in a statement. 

"In this situation, I was not able to act as a role model for my team and the public. I will therefore be consistent and stand by my mistake. 

"Because of this misconduct, I will not be leading the training tomorrow and will not be in charge of the team against Wolfsburg on Saturday."

Augsburg sit 14th in the table ahead of the return to action but have not won in the league since February 1, a poor run of form that led to the departure of Martin Schmidt.