"He wasn't the right fit for us": SGE star settles the score with Riera

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt - Bundesliga

Eintracht Frankfurt's Jonathan Burkardt publicly settled scores with coach Albert Riera after the final game of the season. Riera's time at Eintracht is widely expected to end soon.

"To be honest, the system the manager tried to play didn't suit Eintracht Frankfurt," Burkardt told ARD after Saturday's 2-2 draw with VfB Stuttgart.

Burkardt delivered unusually blunt public criticism of his coach, though the striker later clarified his remarks. "The team failed to fully implement Riera's system," he explained. "The team came up short first and foremost, and the coach didn't get the results he wanted either."

The 25-year-old is reported to have enlisted his agent a few weeks ago to lodge a complaint with sporting director Markus Krösche, after Riera had passed on criticism—via an assistant coach—about Burkardt's fitness and defensive work. The resulting media report became a major talking point at Riera's press conference in early May, where the Spaniard snapped at the assembled journalists: "What am I supposed to explain? You'll just write whatever you want anyway." He indirectly confirmed the incident with Burkardt by noting that it had "already happened two weeks ago."

1. FC Heidenheim 1846 v Eintracht Frankfurt - Bundesliga

Eintracht Frankfurt: Jonathan Burkardt has been fined by Albert Riera for insulting behaviour.

On the last Bundesliga matchday, Burkardt—recently dropped from Riera's starting line-up—is said to have vented his frustration at the coach. Having been introduced as a substitute shortly before, the German international scored for Borussia Dortmund in the 87th minute to make the final score 2–3 from Frankfurt's perspective; immediately after the goal, Burkardt hurled a fierce Spanish curse at Riera.

Riera is reported to have reprimanded Burkardt in front of the squad and fined him €20,000, a sanction the coach confirmed on Friday. In the season finale against Stuttgart, Burkardt again began on the bench but came on for the final half-hour and earned a 2-2 draw for Eintracht with two penalty goals. Nevertheless, Frankfurt finished eighth, one place outside the European spots, marking their first failure to qualify for continental competition since 2020.

Albert Riera has reportedly made his decision: will Eintracht Frankfurt now bring Adi Hütter back?

Riera has been a divisive figure at Eintracht Frankfurt, not just because of his skirmishes with Burkardt, but also due to reported fallouts with several other high-profile squad members. As a result, the 44-year-old is widely expected to have managed his last game for the club against Stuttgart, with departure seen as inevitable.

Riera had taken charge only in early February, replacing the sacked Dino Toppmöller, and his contract runs until 2028. Nevertheless, his exit appears inevitable: on Saturday the fans made their feelings clear with whistles and a blunt banner reading, "Gracias por nada" ("Thanks for nothing"). After the 1-1 draw with VfB, Riera told reporters, "It's quite simple. If you don't win, you're not good enough. My job is to win. So I accept that."

Frankfurt's search for a successor is already underway, with kicker reporting that the club is weighing several options, including a return for Adi Hütter, who previously managed Eintracht from 2018 to 2021 and has been without a coaching role since leaving AS Monaco last October.

albert riera dortmund frankfurt

Albert Riera's record at Eintracht Frankfurt