Sports · Football · 2 hrs ago
Former Jena coach Heiko Weber dies at 61
Former player and coach Heiko Weber has died at 61 after a serious cancer illness, his longtime club FC Carl Zeiss Jena said.
Weber made his mark at Carl Zeiss Jena, where he played more than 300 times and later coached.
The DDR-Oberliga was East Germany’s top football league, which ended in 1991 as the country was reunifying.
On its final day, Weber scored the league’s last goal for Jena against Energie Cottbus.
That 2-0 win helped Jena reach Germany’s second division, and Weber later guided the club back there as coach with two straight promotions.
He also coached Energie Cottbus, including one Bundesliga match, a 5-0 defeat at Bayern Munich; the sources give no next steps.
Former football player and coach Heiko Weber died at 61 after a serious illness, his former club FC Carl Zeiss Jena said.
Weber publicly disclosed a serious cancer diagnosis in February 2026.
He scored the final goal in the history of the DDR-Oberliga in 1991, helping Jena reach the 2. Bundesliga.
As Jena’s coach, he led the club from the fourth tier to the 2. Bundesliga with two consecutive promotions.
Weber also coached Energie Cottbus and ZFC Meuselwitz and later worked as a primary-school teacher in Jena.
- Who
- Heiko Weber, a former football player and coach.
- What
- He died at 61 after a serious illness.
- When
- Monday, October 26, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- He died following an illness; BILD reported that he had pancreatic cancer.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Weber publicly disclosed that he had a serious cancer illness.
Weber returned to the coaching bench for a benefit match in Weida.
Weber died at the age of 61.
- Age at death
- 61
- Last DDR-Oberliga goal
- Scored for Carl Zeiss Jena in 1991
- Jena coaching spell
- Took charge in 2004 and led the club to the 2. Bundesliga
- Energie Cottbus
- Interim coach for one Bundesliga match, a 0-5 loss at Bayern Munich
- Most recent coaching job
- ZFC Meuselwitz, through summer 2023
3 sources
What people are saying
Eigentlich war ich immer die Person, die für andere da war, motiviert hat und Menschen auf dem Weg zu sportlichen Zielen begleitete. Meine neue Rolle zu akzeptieren, fällt mir daher immer noch schwer.