arabnews.com - Ajax Amsterdam sack coach John Heitinga

Ajax Amsterdam sack coach John Heitinga

AMSTERDAM: Ajax Amsterdam have sacked coach John Heitinga following a poor start to the season that included four successive heavy defeats in the Champions League, with Fred Grim handed the reins on a temporary basis, the club announced on Thursday. Assistant coach Marcel Keizer will also depart, while technical director Alex Kroes said he would give up his role before the expiry of his contract at the end of the season if the club found a suitable replacement. Ajax have won five of their 11 Eredivisie matches this campaign and lie fourth in the table but sit bottom of the standings in the Champions League in what has been a chaotic first few months of the season.

Bundesliga record in sight as Bayern Munich aims to keep winning run going

BERLIN: Who can end Bayern Munich’s winning start to the season? After a week in which they defeated European champion Paris Saint-Germain and 2024 Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen to stretch their record to 16 wins across all competitions, Bayern should be wary of a surprise against Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Union have never beaten Bayern at home in the Bundesliga since their promotion in 2019, but the Bavarian powerhouse can count on a battle in Köpenick, where Union held Bayern to 1-1 last season and where Steffen Baumgart’s team are unbeaten in four games across all competitions. Bayern were also drawn at Union in the next round of the German Cup in early December. Another win in the league for Bayern would match the team’s 10-game winning start in 2015 under Pep Guardiola. Key matchups Borussia Mönchengladbach host Cologne for the Rhine derby on Saturday, with both teams confident after morale-boosting wins. Cologne beat promoted rival Hamburger SV 4-1, and Gladbach enjoyed a 4-0 win at St.

Victor Wembanyama fever hits Middle East as NBA viewership soars

ABU DHABI: When you open your social media feed, it almost doesn’t make sense. A 7ft 4in player dribbling between defenders, stepping back beyond the arc and sinking threes with the ease of a guard. But this isn’t a video game, it’s Victor Wembanyama — the human highlight reel taking over the NBA.

Tight UK security ahead of match against Israeli club

BIRMINGHAM, UK: More than 700 police deployed across the UK city of Birmingham Thursday for protests planned ahead of a football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa, with visiting Israeli fans barred. The UK government last month vowed to reverse the ban on Maccabi fans attending the Europa League match in the city in central England that has a significant Muslim population after widespread criticism of the decision taken by local safety advisers and police. However, the Israeli club later announced it would decline any tickets for its fans, citing safety concerns. Villa have said they are not selling tickets for the vacant away end of their Villa Park stadium. Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, has been the scene of regular pro-Palestinian rallies over the last two years. Close to Villa’s stadium on Thursday there was a large, visible police presence, an AFP correspondent saw. Local police said protests by different groups were scheduled Thursday near Villa Park, including a pro-Palestinian demonstration demanding Israel be excluded from international football. A pro-Israeli group has also organized a Maccabi Solidarity Rally, with both protests set to kick off around 6:00 p.m.

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Ajax Amsterdam sack coach John Heitinga

Bundesliga record in sight as Bayern Munich aims to keep winning run going

Victor Wembanyama fever hits Middle East as NBA viewership soars

Tight UK security ahead of match against Israeli club

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