Match between Almere City and Fortuna canceled at the last minute

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Match between Almere and Fortuna canceled at the last minute

The Eredivisie match between Almere City FC and Fortuna Sittard on Saturday evening was canceled at the last minute. Initially the match seemed like it could go ahead, but on the advice of the players the match was canceled because the field was too slippery. When the match will be made up will be determined at a later time.

Jong AZ finds a successor for Jan Sierksma as head coach

Leeroy Echteld is the new trainer of Jong AZ. He succeeds Jan Sierksma, who has been promoted to the first team due to the dismissal of Pascal Jansen. There he becomes assistant to trainer Maarten Martens. Echteld, who already worked at AZ as an assistant coach between 2015 and 2018, comes from De Treffers.

Go Ahead Eagles without basic strength for some time

Go Ahead Eagles will have to do without Philippe Rommens for a while. The 26-year-old midfielder suffered an ankle injury in the 2-1 cup match against NEC this week, the club from Deventer said. “The midfielder's recovery is expected to take several weeks.”

Gouweleeuw on his way to club record with contract extension

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw has extended his contract with FC Augsburg. The 32-year-old defender, who came over from AZ in 2016, is now contracted to the German club until mid-2025. There is also an option for another season. Gouweleeuw has played 209 Bundesliga matches for Augsburg so far. The player with the most appearances for Augsburg at the highest German level is Daniel Baier, with 274 appearances. So it is not inconceivable that Gouweleeuw will break that club record.

“I have never made it a secret that my family and I feel very comfortable in and around Augsburg,” the defender said on the club website. “After open and constructive discussions in recent weeks and months, I am pleased that we have agreed on a contract extension and that I can continue to be part of the FC Augsburg family.”

Steven Gerrard extends contract with Al-Ettifaq

Trainer Steven Gerrard has extended his contract with Al-Ettifaq for two years. The former Liverpool footballer is now affiliated with the Saudi Arabian club until mid-2027, for which Georginio Wijnaldum also plays.

Al-Ettifaq reported the coach's new contract shortly after it was announced that Jordan Henderson had signed a 2.5-year contract with Ajax. Gerrard's extension is remarkable, because the coach had not won for weeks. The current number eight of the Saudi Pro League has been waiting for a win for eight matches.

Cup match between Hercules and SC Cambuur canceled due to weather conditions

The eighth final between Hercules and SC Cambuur was canceled at the last minute on Thursday evening. “Due to the winter weather conditions of the past few days and their influence on the field of Sportpark Zoudenbalch, the safety of the players could not be guaranteed,” the KNVB said in a statement. The association hopes to come up with a new date soon.

Dennis Higler takes charge of cup cracker Feyenoord – PSV

Dennis Higler has been appointed by the KNVB to manage Feyenoord – PSV. Joost van Zuilen and Rens Bluemink will assist him. Marc Nagtegaal serves as the fourth official, while Clay Ruperti handles the VAR. He is assisted by Stefan de Groot.

Higler refereed the league match between FC Twente and Feyenoord (2-1) this season. The referee then overlooked a foul by Robin Pröpper on Santiago Gimenez in the sixteen-meter area, which prevented the ball from hitting the spot. The KNVB informed Feyenoord a little later that that was an incorrect decision and the Rotterdam team should have received a penalty.

The referee whistled PSV's matches with RKC Waalwijk (0-4 win), Sparta Rotterdam (0-4 win) and AZ (0-4 win). Higler has been the referee in ten Eredivisie matches so far this season. He gave 27 yellow cards and 1 red card. Higler put the ball on the spot four times. The match between Feyenoord and PSV starts next Wednesday at 8:00 PM in De Kuip.

AZ moves Jan Sierksma to the first team

Jan Sierksma will become assistant to head coach Maarten Martens at AZ, the club from Alkmaar announced through official channels. The 39-year-old coach from Dokkum was already the Belgian coach's right-hand man at Jong AZ. On Thursday, the duo was already in front of the group during training with the current number four of the Eredivisie.

Technical director Max Huiberts responded on Thursday Football International more explanation about the dismissal of Pascal Jansen. “This was not a decision based on one match. During the winter break we indicated to Pascal that we were concerned about the downward trend. As we have always been in conversation with him. We expected an upward trend in the second half of the season, but that was not the case against FC Twente and Quick Boys.â€

Match between VVV-Venlo and ADO Den Haag cancelled

The match in the Kitchen Champion Division between VVV-Venlo and ADO Den Haag will not take place on Friday evening due to the weather conditions in Limburg. “Due to the frost and snowfall in recent days, the field of the Covebo Stadium – De Koel is unplayable,” the KNVB said. The match will be rescheduled at short notice.

Thomas is seriously injured again and will not play again this season

Ryan Thomas' season is over, PEC Zwolle reports via official channels. The 29-year-old midfielder of the Zwolle team has suffered a serious knee injury and has to undergo surgery. Thomas played seven times this year for the current number ten of the Eredivisie.

It is not the first serious injury for Thomas in his career. At the end of 2015 he also injured his knee, which kept him sidelined for 228 days. The eighteen-time international transferred to PSV in the summer of 2018, but things also went wrong there a few weeks after his arrival.

A serious knee injury then kept him on the sidelines for a full year. Thomas therefore missed 52 matches for the Eindhoven team. At the beginning of 2021, he missed four months due to an ankle injury and six months later he injured his knee again. It then took him 445 days to recover.

Cup matches canceled in Belgium due to heavy snowfall

The quarter-finals in the Belgian Cup between OH Leuven – Royal Antwerp and Union Sint-Gillis – RSC Anderlecht will not take place on Wednesday evening. The reason is the heavy snowfall that plagues Belgium. Due to the cancellations, the organization of the Croky Cup faces a major challenge, as the semi-finals were scheduled for next week.

Leuven – Antwerp will now be played on Wednesday, January 24. The Brussels derby between Union – Anderlecht has been moved to Thursday, January 25. The semi-finals therefore cannot take place next week and will now be played on February 6, 7 and 8. Club Brugge is the only one that is already certain of the semi-finals. The fourth quarter-final is between KV Oostende and RWDM. That match can take place on Wednesday evening.

German football world in mourning after sudden death of Kay Bernstein

Kay Bernstein, chairman of Hertha BSC, died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon. The chairman, who was a member of the club's hard core before his appointment, was only 43 years old. “The entire club is stunned and deeply saddened,” Hertha wrote on club channels.

Sarina Wiegman extends contract until 2027

Sarina Wiegman has extended her contract as head coach of the England women's national team, the FA announced on Tuesday morning. The coach is now with the 2027 World Cup Three Lionesses. “As I look to the future, we still have unfinished business and I know we are capable of even more, even though nothing will be easy,” Wiegman said.

She has been at the helm of the English women since 2021 and won the 2022 European Championship with the team and came second at the World Cup last year, after losing to Spain in the final. “It feels very special to be able to play a role in such beautiful moments.”

Scaloni remains as Argentina coach

Lionel Scaloni will remain as national coach of Argentina, the country's football association reports. The national coach won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, but then hinted at a retirement. After an interview at the head office, Scaloni stays on. He will try to guide Argentina to the final victory at the Copa América next summer.

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