Xavi Hernandez Officially Named Netherlands Head Coach
Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was officially announced as the new head coach of the Netherlands national team on Wednesday.
Germany Sport News
Xavi named first foreign Netherlands coach since 1978
PARIS: Xavi Hernandez has been named as the successor to Ronald Koeman as head coach of the Netherlands national team, becoming their first foreign boss in 48 years, the country’s football association announced on Wednesday. The Barcelona great, who won the 2010 World Cup with Spain as a player, has not held a head coaching job since leaving the Camp Nou in 2024. Xavi has signed a four-year deal, which means he will lead the Oranje’s Euro 2028 and 2030 World Cup campaigns. “As someone who received his training at the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a special connection to Dutch football,” said the 46-year-old former midfielder. “You could say that I am a bit of a son of Dutch football. “Other great coaches, especially Louis van Gaal, under whom I made my debut at Barcelona, and Frank Rijkaard, also played an important role in shaping me as a player and coach.” Koeman stepped down after his second spell in charge of the Dutch ended with a last-32 defeat on penalties against Morocco. Ex-Liverpool manager Arne Slot reportedly held initial talks with the Dutch association, but preferred to stay in club football. Xavi’s first match at the helm will be a Nations League clash with rivals Germany at the Johann Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on September 24. He is the Netherlands’ first foreign boss since Austrian Ernst Happel, whose side reached the 1978 World Cup final before losing to Argentina. “The Netherlands has a rich football culture and a clear vision that also appeals to me enormously — attacking football, based on possession, with creativity, passion, and conviction,” Xavi added. “Of course, the most important goal is and always will be to win, but I
Veteran Sabrina Gervais leads Canada into world championship with Olympic bid on the line
She's a mom, health-care professional and longtime flag football player. Sabrina Gervais now hopes to add Olympian to her life resume.
Warholm on track in bid for fourth Euro hurdles gold
BIRMINGHAM, UK: Karsten Warholm kept his bid for a second gold of the European championships in Birmingham and a fourth 400m hurdles title on track as he sailed through qualifiers on Wednesday. Warholm, who set the 400m hurdles world record of 45.94 seconds when winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, was part of the Norwegian quartet that won the 4x400m mixed relay on Monday. He won his semifinal at the Alexander Stadium in 48.01sec, with the final scheduled for 1940 GMT on Friday. Since winning his first world title in London back in 2017, Warholm has been one of the most dominant athletes in the world of track and field. The 30-year-old has claimed two more world titles, but had to be content with Olympic silver at the 2024 Paris Games. He is also Europe’s leading hurdler, having bagged three back-to-back continental titles in Berlin in 2018, Munich in 2022 and Rome two years ago. Warholm equalled German Harald Schmid’s haul of three European 400m hurdles titles when he won in a championship record of 46.98sec in Rome and will move out as sole record holder should he win in Birmingham. Remarkably, since the 2016 Olympic Games when Warholm made the semifinals in his first full season in the event, he has only been beaten once by a European — France’s Wilfried Happio finishing fourth in the final of the 2022 world championships in Oregon, the Norwegian star was seventh on his return from injury. Warholm also holds the 33 fastest times in history by a European 400m hurdler, including a season’s best of 46.61sec for victory in the London Diamond League last month. Warholm leads the 2026 European list by almost one second from Germany’s Emil Agyekum, the only two Europeans to have broken the 48sec barrier this year
Bundesliga's 50+1 ownership rule permissible under antitrust laws, competition authority says
BERLIN, Aug 12 : The Bundesliga's 50+1 ownership rule that blocks major investors from taking over control of clubs in the top two German leagues is permissible under current antitrust laws, the country's federal competition authority Bundeskartellamt said on Wednesday.
Former CFL player Dequoy back playing football with Canadian men's flag team
Roughly six months into retirement, Marc-Antoine Dequoy is back competing for a football championship.
Newcastle manager Jaissle relishing opportunity after player exodus chaos
NEWCASTLE, England, Aug 11 : Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle is refusing to dwell on the departure of key players that has left his club in turmoil ahead of the Premier League season, insisting on Tuesday that he sees opportunity in the situation.
Germany re-introduces standing room tickets for national team home matches after more than 25 years
BERLIN, Aug 11 : Germany is introducing standing room tickets for men's national team home matches for the first time in more than 25 years, the football association (DFB) said on Tuesday, with their Nations League clashes with Greece and Serbia in September and October the first to feature them again.