Sports briefs

 

Leverkusen fire Heiko Herrlich

 

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP):

Bayer Leverkusen have fired coach Heiko Herrlich despite two Bundesliga wins in a row.

The German club, which is ninth in the standings, says former Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Bosz is taking over and will start preparations for the second half of the season on January 4.

Bosz, who led Ajax to the Europa League final in 2017, agreed a deal through June 2020.

Leverkusen, the club of Jamaica's Leon Bailey, says it decided to let Herrlich go - despite four wins from five games across all competitions - due to a "stagnation in the development of the team".

 

Frank de Boer takes over at Atlanta United

 

ATLANTA (AP):

Frank de Boer, who appeared in two World Cups for the Netherlands during an illustrious playing career and went on to capture four straight league titles as Ajax coach, is taking over at Atlanta United.

The Major League Soccer (MLS) champions announced the coaching hire Sunday, with plans for a formal introduction after the holidays. The 48-year-old de Boer agreed to a multi-year contract to replace Tata Martino, who left Atlanta after two seasons amid reports that he is taking over as coach of the Mexican national team.

De Boer takes over a club that won the MLS Cup in just its second season and set numerous attendance records, averaging more than 53,000 per game. United returns to action in February, making its first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League, before the start of the MLS season in March.

 

Inter suspend Nainggolan

 

MILAN (AP):

Inter Milan have banned midfielder Radja Nainggolan "for disciplinary reasons".

In a brief statement on Sunday, Inter says it "can confirm Nainggolan has been temporarily suspended from football activity".

The club has not disclosed precise reasons, or the length of the ban, but, according to Italian media reports, he turned up late for training on Sunday morning and had also done so several times last week.

The 30-year-old Belgian joined Inter in the offseason in a deal that valued him at €38 million (US$44.3 million).

Nainggolan has struggled with an ankle injury this month but played more than an hour of last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Chievo Verona.

The suspension means he will miss today's showdown against Napoli. Inter are third in Serie A, eight points behind Napoli and 16 adrift of leader Juventus.