Media: Ruhnert considers return to Union

Oliver Ruhnert had applied for a seat in the Bundestag for the BSW - but did not make it into parliament. picture alliance / Jörg Carstensen

As the Berliner Morgenpost reports, Union Berlin is currently holding talks about Ruhnert's return. The Sauerland native had put his duties on hold since January because he wanted to devote himself entirely to his political ambitions. Specifically, Ruhnert had applied for a seat in the Bundestag for the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance party.

However, the BSW failed to clear the five percent hurdle on Sunday. Ruhnert, who received 8.6 percent of the votes (5th place) in his Berlin-Marzahn-Hellersdorf constituency, was denied entry into parliament. Now he is aiming to return to football. "Everyone knows how much I love my job in football. Of course I want to continue to be active there," t-online quotes him as saying. "People who apply for a public mandate are more likely to return to their jobs if they don't win the election."

To be honest, I feel very comfortable in my role as chief scout and am not currently aspiring to any other roles.

Ruhnert was managing director of the Köpenickers between May 2018 and June 2024. Last summer, he returned to the position of chief scout , which he had held since August 2017. In this role, he continued to play a key role in shaping the squad .

His successor in the management was Horst Heldt. He has now made it clear that he does not want to challenge him for the position. "A lot is possible in football," said Ruhnert: "To be honest, I feel very comfortable in my role as chief scout and am not currently looking for any other roles."

His contract with Union Berlin is officially suspended until the end of February. Before moving to Berlin, Ruhnert worked for many years as a scout, youth coach and head of the youth academy at Schalke 04.