Merano coach Massimo Bertinato. © M. Dorn

Coaching surprise at Olimpia Meran

Olimpia Meran was one of the positive surprises in the first half of the Landesliga season. Now there's an unexpected change on the coaching staff.

05 January 2026

From: sportsnews

Massimo Bertinato lives for Olimpia Meran. The renowned football coach was most recently not only the manager of the spa town club, but also its president. However, Bertinato has now made a surprising decision: he has resigned as manager, and captain Elvin Reka will take over the dual role of player and coach.

“I have decided to step down as first-team coach in order to take over the U19 team (born in 2009),” Bertinato said in a club press release. “I believe this decision represents a positive step for our future. We are aware that we have not succeeded in achieving the goals we set for ourselves three years ago, and that the lack of young players from the youth academy in the first team is something we must address very seriously,” Bertinato added.

The new coach is: Captain Elvin Reka. © M. Dorn

With Olimpia Meran, the coach led the team to promotion from the First Amateur League to the Landesliga (regional league) last season. Meran started the season brilliantly, but their form dipped towards the end of the first half of the season, and they currently sit in fourth place. Bertinato has never made a secret of his ambition to lead Meran back to the Oberliga (fifth tier). Now, this goal is to be achieved sooner or later with Elvin Reka as player-coach.