After losing their first round DFB Cup match at fourth division side VfB Lübeck, recently promoted Mainz 05 dismissed headcoach Jörn Andersen, the club announced on Monday. Only shortly before the start of the new Bundesliga season, assistant coach Jürgen Kramny was also dismissed.

Thomas Tuchel has agreed a two-year deal and thus succeeds Andersen. So far, Tuchel has coached the Mainz under 19 team and became German champion in 2009.

In the summer of 2008, Andersen took over as Mainz coach from Jürgen Klopp (now Borussia Dortmund) and achieved promotion in 2009.


[DFB.de]

Former World Cup winner Lothar Matthaeus will not, after all, be taking over as manager of Hungarian first division team Fehervar FC.

The club announced the German's appointment earlier this month but on Saturday the League Cup winners said on their website the deal was off.

Fehervar gave no explanation for the about-turn, simply saying that West Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning captain would not become manager.

Former midfielder Matthaeus, capped a record 150 times by his country, was Hungary coach from February 2004 to December 2005.

His last job was in Israel where he managed Maccabi Netanya.

Fehervar finished sixth in the league last season.

Zvonimir Soldo has agreed a two-year deal with 1. FC Köln, the Bundesliga club said on Friday. Michael Henke becomes his assistant coach.

Previous Köln coach Christoph Daum made use of a contractual option at the beginning of June and left the club.

From 1996 til 2006, Soldo played 301 Bundesliga matches for VfB Stuttgart and won the German Cup in 1997. Soldo also appeared in 61 international matches for Croatia and finished third at the World Cup in 1998.

In 2008, Soldo became headcoach of his home club NK Dinamo Zagreb and won the national championship as well as the Croatian Cup.


[DFB.de]

Bayer Leverkusen players and fans will have to wait until the end of the week before discovering whether Bruno Labbadia will still be in charge of their club next season.

The under-fire coach met with club management today to draw their end-of-season conclusions and his future is still hanging in the balance.

"We have spoken with some of the people concerned on Monday and Tuesday and have singled out the points which need to be worked on," said general manager Wolfgang Hauser after emerging from a meeting between himself, Labbadia and director of sport Rudi Voller.

"Any decision will be taken at the end of the season," he is reported as saying in the Bild newspaper.

Before the meeting, Holzhauser admitted the chances of Labbadia remaining were 50-50.

"The scales are finely balanced," he told the Cologne Stadtanzeiger newspaper. "Bruno Labbadia is and remains a very good coach. He works very meticulously, is very diligent and goes into detail with each player individually.

"He led us to the cup final, which is also worth something. But ninth place in the Bundesliga and the timing and style of some of his interviews go against him."


[Soccernet]

Christoph Daum is set to walk out on Bundesliga side Cologne to return to coach Fenerbahce in Turkey.

GettyImages

Coach Christoph Daum was at Fenerbahce between 2003 and 2006

The Bild newspaper reports that the 55-year-old resigned as Cologne coach to allow him to go back to the club he led to the Turkish title twice in a previous three-year spell in charge between 2003 and 2006.

Contact between Fenerbahce representatives and Daum was made on Friday with negotiations reported to have taken place in Mallorca, where the coach was on holiday.

And Cologne's vice-president Jurgen Glowacz today confirmed to the city's Express newspaper that Daum was no longer the club's coach.

Daum took over at Cologne in November 2006, successfully leading them into the Bundesliga in 2008 and keeping them there at the end of what he looked back on as a successful season.

"Maybe we even exceeded our expectations," he said recently.

"I am happy and proud to have fulfilled the expectations of the fans. We were never once in the relegation zone."

However, there was no indication in an interview he gave to the Bild newspaper over a week ago, before he left for Mallorca, that he would not fulfil his contract with the club, which was due to expire next summer.

"A place in mid-table was the aim this season and if we manage to equal or better that next year, then we will have taken a step forward," he said.

"We know that we are standing before the usually jinxed second year in the Bundesliga and we want to be sure of our place in mid-table.

"We were already on the same level as teams like Frankfurt and Hoffenheim this year and now we will be aiming at clubs like Hoffenheim, Bremen, Leverkusen or Dortmund."

It now seem, however, that Daum will be aiming at clubs like Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor as he prepares to return to Turkey for the third time in his coaching career.

[Soccernet]

Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam have appointed Martin Jol as their new head coach on a three-year deal, after landing their man for free.

GettyImages

Martin Jol: Ecstatic...

The Dutchman, who was under contract at SV Hamburg until 2010, succeeds Marco van Basten who resigned with one game of the Eredivisie season remaining after missing out on a Champions League spot, but Hamburg have admitted to letting him walk away from the club for nothing.

''The developments of the last few days were very surprising,'' Hamburg chairman Bernd Hoffman told the club's website. ''We had many conversations. At the end of them we realised it would be for the best if we went our separate ways.''

Jol had one year remaining on his Hamburg deal, but Hoffman said the club saw no reason to demand compensation.

''We have not asked Jol to fulfil his contract until 2010 because Ajax have offered him a longer-term deal with more far-reaching powers. He has better prospects there,'' he said.

Hoffman revealed the disagreement between Jol and the club was over the direction of transfer policy, suggesting the coach wanted to spend more than the board were prepared to authorise.

''It is in the interests of the coach to want the best players available,'' he said. ''We also have the same idea. But you can only take as many risks as you can justify economically. We have invested a lot on the team in recent years, and we will continue to do so.''

Jol, who took Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur to the brink of the Champions League qualifying places, was appointed Hamburg coach last summer and led the club to a fifth-place finish in the recently-completed Bundesliga campaign.

The 53-year-old also guided Hamburg to a UEFA Cup semi-final, but lost to German rivals Werder Bremen.

Jol, who last worked in Holland with RKC Waalwijk before moving to Tottenham to take up the role of assistant to head coach Jacques Santini in 2004, is relishing a return to his homeland.

He said: ''Ajax gives me a great opportunity, with an eye for the long term. 'I get a very wide array of responsibilities. Ajax is a fantastic club and I very much want to get started.

''I enjoyed my stay at HSV. It's a great club and Hamburg is a nice city to live and work in. I have in recent years worked abroad and once again return to the Netherlands, so I very much look forward to this.''

Van den Boog was equally delighted with the appointment.

''It is the most important position in a football club, so we gave it very careful consideration,'' he said. ''Martin has all the qualities the new coach of Ajax in our view should have.

''He is experienced and has experience both domestically and abroad. He has worked in large and smaller clubs and got the maximum from his players.

''He is a trainer who has shown that he gives talented young players a chance - our basic interest.

''I am very pleased with the way we have worked to achieve this. It was an exciting and challenging period, with an excellent result for Ajax.''

[Soccernet]

Former VfB Stuttgart coach Armin Veh will take over from Felix Magath at champions VfL Wolfsburg, the club said on Sunday.

Veh, who led VfB Stuttgart to their 2007 title, would officially be presented on Monday, the club said.

Wolfsburg chairman Hans-Dieter Poetsch told ZDF television Veh would be the new coach late on Saturday, hours after the team had clinched their first Bundesliga title with a 5-1 win over Werder Bremen.

Magath, who will join Schalke 04 after a two-year spell at Wolfsburg, said Veh was a good choice.

"If you asked me I would have named Armin Veh. He produced outstanding work in Stuttgart. I think he is the right man," he told DSF television on Sunday.

Veh was sacked by Stuttgart in November 2008 after a poor run of results.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Friedhelm Funkel will part company at the end of the season, it was announced at a press conference.

Contrary to reports circulating on Wednesday, Funkel has not been sacked and he will remain on the bench for the final game of the season against Hamburg but then he will leave the club at the end of the month.

He revealed he himself had asked for his contract to be terminated.

"I spoke with (club chairman) Heribert Bruchhagen on Monday and requested that my contract be terminated on June 30," said Funkel.

After spending the afternoon in talks with his fellow board members, Bruchhagen then accepted his resignation, leaving Funkel out of a job next season while no new coach has yet been contacted to take over at the Bundesliga side.

"Of course I will do the last game of the season against Hamburg and then I will go on holiday and think about what to do," added Funkel.

The 55-year-old took over in charge of the club on July 1, 2004, and only recently put pen to paper on a new deal until 2010 after a difficult first half of the season in which he was under pressure.

Frankfurt were languishing at the foot of the table and Funkel was given an ultimatum to turn things around last December, which he did with a sequence of positive results.

However, a dip in form since signing that new deal in February has seen the club slip closer to the relegation zone and their safety has only just been mathematically confirmed.

Saturday's game at the Waldstadion will now be Funkel's 170th and last as coach of Frankfurt.

Former Bayer Leverkusen and Galatasaray coach Michael Skibbe is believed to be the number one candidate to take over next season with ex-Schalke boss Mirko Slomka also in the running.

However, Bruchhagen was unable to comment on who would be in charge of the club next season.


[Reuters via Soccernet]

Bayern Munich have appointed Louis van Gaal as their new coach after he was released from his contract with newly-crowned Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar, the Bundesliga club confirmed tonight.

Van Gaal was given the green light to join the Bavarian side after a meeting between Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, general manager Uli Hoeness and AZ president Dirk Scheringa, general manager Toon Gerbrands and director of sport Marcel Brands in Alkmaar today.

The two clubs reached an amicable agreement without any conditions for Van Gaal to leave AZ one year before his contract was due to expire, according to a press release from Bayern.

Bayern have agreed to travel to Alkmaar for a friendly match free of charge to thank the Dutch club for accommodating their wishes in appointing Van Gaal, who had been their number one target since Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked last month.

Van Gaal has signed a two-year contract with Bayern and will assume his responsibilities on July 1, exactly one year after Klinsmann's ill-fated reign commenced.

``We are delighted to have been able to gain an experienced and successful coach for FC Bayern Munich,'' said Rummenigge.

After taking a gamble on the inexperienced Klinsmann last year, the record German champions have opted for a more seasoned coach with the much-travelled 57-year-old fresh from his Eredivisie triumph.

Van Gaal famously led Ajax to the Champions League trophy in 1995 while he won the Spanish Primera Division twice with Barcelona and also has four Dutch titles to his name.

The expectations at Bayern will be equally high with success in Europe the priority next season.

Klinsmann ultimately paid the price for an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Barcelona in the quarter-final of the Champions League this season, while he was never able to take Bayern to the summit of the Bundesliga during his 10 months in charge.

With two games remaining, Bayern are second in the table although they have won their last three matches under caretaker coach Jupp Heynckes and are in the thick of the battle for the title in what promises to be a close finish to the campaign.

Heynckes, who made it clear when he arrived he was only taking charge as a favour to his friend Hoeness, now knows for certain his employment will end on May 23 when Bayern host Stuttgart in their final Bundesliga fixture of the season.


[Soccernet]

Bayern Munich believe they are closing in on the appointment of Louis van Gaal as their new coach with an announcement due to be made next week.

The Dutchman is the Bavarians' number one target and talks have already been concluded between the current AZ Alkmaar coach and the Bundesliga outfit, who are now waiting for him to seal his release from the Dutch side.

However, that is where the complications currently lie, according to Bayern's general manager Uli Hoeness.

"The fact is there are problems relating to van Gaal's relationship with AZ Alkmaar," he revealed.

"Above all, it is because they still do not seem to have found somebody to replace him. That appears to be one of the conditions for him leaving."

Van Gaal has led Alkmaar to the Dutch title this season and claims to have a release clause having achieved that feat.

His side will be presented with the Eredivisie trophy after the last game of the season against Heerenveen and the club are planning an extra celebration on Monday night, which could be van Gaal's last official appearance before moving to Munich on Tuesday, according to reports.

AZ chairman Dirk Scheringa said he is determined to keep his coach, however.

Hoeness could only confirm that he expects van Gaal to resolve his contractual situation with Alkmaar to enable him to be presented as Bayern coach next week.

"I don't know exactly what release clause he has (with Alkmaar), but there is one and he wants to activate it," Hoeness told Munich's Tz newspaper.

"He wants to take responsibility for resolving the problem."

Bayern are looking for a new coach next season after parting company with Jurgen Klinsmann recently.

Jupp Heynckes is currently in charge of team affairs, but only as a favour to his good friend Hoeness, and only until the end of the season.


[Soccernet]

Former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann has received 'serious' offers to coach fir Mexico and the United States of America, a Klinsmann adviser revealed. Roland Eitel told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that it was still unclear whether Klinsmann, who led an unfancied Germany team to third place, would decide to return to the sidelines.

'Juergen has enough work to do right now,' Eitel said, noting that he had two years worth of work to catch up on at his California firm Soccer Solutions. Eitel said Klinsmann is also analysing the training and match data that he gathered from his two years as the head coach of Germany.

Eitel said Klinsmann had received coaching offers from Mexico and the United States. 'And they're all serious,' he said. But when asked if Klinsmann would take up any of the jobs on offer, Eitel said: 'We'll have to wait and see.' Klinsmann had said after the World Cup that he planned to take a six-months break before making any further plans for his future.

Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe left after his contract ended when they lost 2-1 to Argentina in the second round of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. La Volpe moved over to coach Boca Juniors, the most popular club in his native Argentina.

Bruce Arena's contract with the US national team was not renewed after the Americans were knocked out of the World Cup at the group stages. The president of U.S. Soccer, Sunil Gulati, has identified Klinsmann as a top choice to replace Bruce.