Ukraine appoint former striker Rebrov as manager

Ukraine have appointed former striker Serhiy Rebrov as their head coach until the end of the 2026 World Cup, the country's soccer federation (UAF) said on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old takes over from interim coach Ruslan Rotan and has signed a contract until July 30, 2026.

Rotan was appointed in February after previous coach Oleksandr Petrakov's contract expired and oversaw Ukraine's 2-0 loss to England in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier.

Rebrov, who played for Dynamo Kyiv and Tottenham Hotspur, earned 75 caps for Ukraine between 1992 and 2006, and retired as a player in 2009.

He will take charge of the national side for their friendly against Germany on June 12 before Euro qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta later this month.

Rebrov made his name at Dynamo, forming a formidable partnership with Andriy Shevchenko and joined Tottenham in 2000, but returned to his old club after a troubled five-year spell at Spurs. He also played for West Ham United and Rubin Kazan.

As coach at Dynamo, Rebrov won two Ukrainian Premier League titles between 2014-17 before stints in Saudi Arabia and Hungary.

Rebrov announced his departure from Al Ain last week after two years in charge, having led them to a league and cup double in his first season.