22/1/2025–|Last updated: 1/22/202512:23 AM (Mecca time)
German football club Borussia Dortmund announced – today, Wednesday, in a statement – its separation from team coach Nuri Sahin.
Shaheen had been on the brink of abyss for some time, due to a difficult season for the team, and the news came one day after a 2-1 loss to Italian club Bologna in the Champions League.
The German club said in a statement, “Borussia Dortmund and Nuri Sahin will part ways with immediate effect. He decided to part ways with his coach after the disappointing loss yesterday, Tuesday.”
He added, “Borussia Dortmund will provide information in due course about who will be on the bench for next Saturday’s match in the German League against Werder Bremen.”
Dortmund managing director Lars Recken said in the statement: “This decision hurts me personally, but it could not have been avoided after the match in Bologna.”
The situation in the German League is much worse than the Champions League, as the team is in tenth place after 7 victories in 18 matches, 20 points behind its rival, Bayern Munich, the leaders.
Sahin (36 years old) took over the task of supervising Dortmund last summer following the sudden departure of Edin Terzic, a few weeks after leading the team to the Champions League final.
After coaching Antalyaspor between 2021 and 2023, Sahin returned to the team for which he played as a player in 274 matches and won the league title with them in 2011, in December 2023 as Terzic’s assistant.
German media reported that among the possible successors was former English coach of Manchester United, Dutchman Erik Ten Hag, who was recently seen watching Dortmund’s matches from the stands, or former Portuguese coach of Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen, Rodger Schmidt.
Shaheen said with disappointment, “Unfortunately, I was not able to live up to Dortmund’s sporting ambitions at this point in time,” adding, “I wish this distinguished club all the best.”
After Tuesday’s loss, Shaheen told reporters, “If I am the problem, or if changing the coach solves the problems, then this is not a problem at all.”
Under Shaheen’s leadership this season, Dortmund found it difficult, especially away from home, as they lost 9 matches and won only 4 out of 15 away from their stronghold.
In addition to its suffering in the league and Champions League, Dortmund was also eliminated from the round of 32 of the German Cup by Wolfsburg.
