Hyypia: Former Finland and Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia has quit as manager of Brighton after six months in charge, the Championship club said yesterday. The 41-year-old, who signed a three-year contract to replace Oscar Garcia in June, won only three of his 22 league matches as Brighton slipped into the bottom three with 19 points from 22 matches.
Stoev: Stoycho Stoev, who led Ludogorets to the Bulgarian double and the Europa League’s round of 16 last season, has taken over as coach of Levski Sofia. “I’m coming to a club where media and fan pressure are enormous,” Stoev told a news conference yesterday after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. “But I like it, my ambitions have always been high.”
Kramer: Midfielder Christoph Kramer has penned a two-year contract extension at Bayer Leverkusen. The Germany international, who is currently on a season-long loan at Borussia Moenchengladbach, is now tied to Leverkusen until the end of June 2019, with his previous deal due to expire in the summer of 2017.
Gutierrez: Newcastle United midfielder Jonas Gutierrez was set to return to action in an under-21 game last night after recovering from testicular cancer, the Premier League club said. Gutierrez had an operation in his native Argentina in September to remove his left testicle after the discovery of a tumour and received chemotherapy treatment. Gutierrez last made a first-team appearance on loan at Norwich City in April.
Fans: Egyptian authorities will partially lift a ban on supporters at domestic stadiums, ending three years of league football being played in empty arenas. There had been a blanket ban on supporters following the Port Said riot on Feb. 1, 2012, when 74 people were killed during clashes between supporters of the Al Masri club and the country’s most popular team, Al Ahli. Now, a total of 10,000 supporters will be able to attend games held in the larger Cairo and Alexandria venues.
Kampl: Borussia Dortmund have agreed to sign Slovenia international Kevin Kampl in January. Jurgen Klopp’s men have suffered a dramatic fall from grace this season and head to the international break in the relegation places. Attacking midfielder Kampl has been lined up to provide some much-needed impetus, with the 24-year-old moving from Red Bull Salzburg. He has signed a contract through to the summer of 2019.