Eintracht Frankfurt coach Niko Kovac says he is not even contemplating the idea of his side being relegated tonight.
The Eagles go into the second leg of their play-off with Nuremberg having been held to a 1-1 draw in the home leg and needing to beat the Bavarians, who finished third in the 2. Bundesliga, to preserve their place in the top flight.
When asked if he had given any thought to what he would do in the event of defeat, Kovac said: “No, absolutely not – with an exclamation mark!
“We’ve proven already in difficult situations that we can stand up for ourselves. I am sure we can win in Nuremberg,” he said.
Russia include Neustadter in squad
Russia have named Schalke defender Roman Neustadter, who was born in Ukraine and does not yet have Russian citizenship, in their squad for next month’s Euro 2016 tournament.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) announced the squad with head coach Leonid Slutskiy including the 28-year-old Neustadter, who has been living in Germany since he was a child and has played for Germany’s youth teams.
Neustadter is expected to get a Russian passport in the next few days, which will allow him to play for the national team.
Bain appointed Sunderland CEO
Sunderland have appointed Martin Bain as their new chief executive officer.
Bain, 47, will leave a similar position at Maccabi Tel Aviv to take up the role on July 1, replacing Margaret Byrne, who resigned in March in the wake of the conviction for sexual activity with a child of Adam Johnson.
Bain, who has also been Rangers CEO, said: ““I have been fortunate to be a part of a team that has brought great success to two clubs with passionate supporter bases and I am excited by the opportunity to do the same at Sunderland.”
Hibs boss Stubbs to auction cup medal
Boss Alan Stubbs revealed he will auction his Scottish Cup winners medal for charity following Hibernian’s historic 3-2 win over Rangers on Saturday.
A stoppage-time goal by Hibees skipper David Gray took the trophy back to Leith for the first time since 1902, albeit a pitch invasion led to a belated trophy presentation.
“I will auction it off to the highest bidder and it will go to a good cause,” said Stubbs.
“I got a letter from a lady who lost a child while she was giving birth. She is trying to raise money for machines and that will be one of them.
“I will maybe limit it to three charities and all the money raised from it will go to them.”
Wales to announce new Coleman deal
Chris Coleman has agreed a two-year contract extension to lead Wales in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, reports said yesterday.
Coleman, who succeeded the late Gary Speed in January 2012, has guided Wales to Euro 2016 next month – the country’s first finals since the 1958 World Cup.
The FA of Wales have called a news conference for today when it is understood that Coleman’s contract extension will be announced.
Coleman, 45, has admitted he misses the day-to-day involvement of club management and the former Fulham and Coventry boss had been linked with Aston Villa in recent months.
Beersheba win first league in 40 years
Hapoel Beersheba ended a 40-year wait to win the Israeli Premier League title for a third time after a 3-1 home victory over Bnei Sakhnin on the final day of the campaign.
Beersheba won back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976 and Saturday’s achievement ended Maccabi Tel Aviv’s grip on the trophy for the past three seasons.
Maccabi, who finished as runners-up, two points behind Beersheba, beat Maccabi Haifa 6-0 at home in a dress rehearsal of tomorrow’s State Cup final.
Beersheba will contest the preliminary rounds of next season’s Champions League.
Red Bulls sour Lampard’s return
New York Red Bulls routed New York City FC 7-0 to sour Frank Lampard’s first match of the season and register their fourth successive derby victory since their rivals entered MLS last year.
The thumping victory, tying it with the biggest margin for an away win in MLS, pushed Red Bulls to within a point of second-place New York City in the Eastern conference.
The loss overshadowed the season-debut of former Chelsea midfielder Lampard, who entered the game as a substitute in the 75th minute after he missed his team’s first 12 games with a calf injury.
“The Red Bulls supporters will be able to tell their kids that they were at this game,” coach Jesse Marsch said.