Switzerland assistant coach Contini leaves to join Champions League club Young Boys
Switzerland assistant coach Contini leaves to join Champions League club Young Boys
Switzerland’s head coach Murat Yakin, left, and Switzerland’s assistant coach Giorgio Contini, right, during the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League, group A4, soccer match between Switzerland and Denmark in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
Young Boys’ Lukasz Lakomy, centre, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Young Boys in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Switzerland’s head coach Murat Yakin, left, and Switzerland’s assistant coach Giorgio Contini, right, during the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League, group A4, soccer match between Switzerland and Denmark in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
Switzerland’s head coach Murat Yakin, left, and Switzerland’s assistant coach Giorgio Contini, right, during the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League, group A4, soccer match between Switzerland and Denmark in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
Young Boys’ Lukasz Lakomy, centre, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Young Boys in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Young Boys’ Lukasz Lakomy, centre, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Young Boys in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Giorgio Contini is taking over as coach of Champions League struggler Young Boys and leaving his role as Switzerland assistant coach after helping the national team excel at the European Championship.
Young Boys, which is ninth in the 12-team Swiss league and last in the new 36-team Champions League standings, said Wednesday that Contini signed a contract through the 2026-27 season. Interim coach Joël Magnin had been in charge since October when Patrick Rahmen was fired.
Contini’s arrival in February as assistant to Switzerland coach Murat Yakin helped spark an unbeaten run that took the team to the brink of the European Championship semifinals.
The Swiss beat defending champion Italy in the round of 16, then lost a penalty shootout to England in the quarterfinals after conceding an 80th-minute goal in a 1-1 draw in Berlin.
Young Boys is the defending Swiss champion but went into the midwinter break ninth in the league, though just eight points behind leader Lugano.
The team has six straight losses in the Champions League, conceding six goals to Atalanta and five against Barcelona and Stuttgart.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer