Bundesliga
Labbadia appointed new Hertha coach
Hertha Berlin have named former Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg and Wolfsburg coach Bruno Labbadia as the club's new head coach.
The 54-year-old German tactician is the fourth head coach to take charge at the Olympiastadion this season - Ante Covic began the campaign, before Jürgen Klinsmann and Alexander Nouri took over leading up to the Bundesliga's suspension due to the coronavirus.
With the capital club sitting in 13th place - six points ahead of the relegation play-off spot with 28 points from 25 games played - the Old Lady felt the need for further change, having originally planned to keep Nouri in charge until the end of the 2019/20 season.
"With Bruno, we're getting someone who has known the Bundesliga in detail for many years as a player and coach and has shown in his previous positions that he can stabilise and develop teams, and build from that to take them to the next level," said sporting director Michael Preetz.
"His ideas of playing attacking football, his meticulousness and his ambition all fit perfectly to Hertha Berlin and our goals. We are delighted that he has chosen our club. In the discussions with him, I felt a great passion and willingness and also great anticipation for our club."
Labbadia's most recent job in the Bundesliga saw him successfully keep Wolfsburg in the German top-flight via a relegation play-off win over Holstein Kiel at the end of 2018/19. He then led the Wolves to a sixth-placed finish and return to the UEFA Europa League.
Watch: Labbadia steered Wolfsburg beyond Kiel in the relegation play-off!
Labbadia's success in surviving relegation also goes back to his days with Hamburg when he kept HSV up with a dramatic aggregate win over Karlsruhe at the end of 2015/16.
"My team and I are really looking forward to this task," Labbadia said. "Hertha is a club with a clear, ambitious plan for the future. We are very keen to be part of this plan and the further development of Hertha. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We will start from Monday in compliance with the currently applicable rules and prepare as best as possible for the day when football will be played again."