Borussia Dortmund fired head coach Nuri Sahin. Following Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss against Bologna, claiming they had “lost faith” in him. Dortmund were beaten finalists in the competition last season. But Tuesday’s loss marked the club’s fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. Dortmund is currently tenth in the Bundesliga, 20 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. Sahin was an assistant to the previous Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
During the club’s unexpected run to the Champions League final, which they lost to Real Madrid, the 36-year-old was appointed as head coach in the summer. Since Jurgen Klopp’s departure in 2015, Dortmund has had eight different head managers, including Terzic’s two tenures. Only one, Lucien Favre, has stayed for more than two years. Dortmund, visiting Werder Bremen in the league, said “information will be provided in due course” about a successor.
German media reported candidates included former Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag, who has been seen attending Dortmund games recently, or one-time Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen handler Roger Schmidt. Terzic, who has been unemployed since leaving Dortmund during the offseason, is not a candidate for the position. A dissatisfied Sahin stated, “Unfortunately, I was unable to live up to Dortmund’s sporting ambitions at this time.”
Blame Game in Dortmund
Nuri Sahin‘s employment followed the club’s current trend of appointing former players to senior positions. Terzic was born in the area and previously worked as a Dortmund scout and youth coach before taking on the top role. Ricken and sporting director Sebastian Kehl both had lengthy careers as Dortmund players. Sahin rose through Dortmund’s junior systems to play 274 games for the club. He was a member of the 2011 Bundesliga-winning team.
After previously playing for Real Madrid and Liverpool. The Germany-born former Turkish international’s first head coaching role was with Turkish club Antalyaspor, where he concluded his playing career. Nuri Sahin led Antalyaspor to seventh and thirteenth-place finishes in the league before leaving to become assistant manager at Dortmund in January 2023.
