Werder Bremen fires coach who declined to extend his contract
Werder's head coach Ole Werner before the German Bundesliga soccer match between SV Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig in Bremen, Germany, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)
BREMEN, Germany (AP) — Werder Bremen fired coach Ole Werner on Tuesday after he indicated the day before he would not be extending his contract next year.
'Since we need continuity and clarity for the position of head coach in the future, we have decided to let Ole go," Bremen's managing director for sport Clemens Fritz said.
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Werner had a contract to the end of next season, but the club said on Monday that he refused to sign a new one.
The 37-year-old Werner, regarded as one of Germany's leading young coaches, took over at Bremen when it was in the second division and oversaw promotion, then steady improvement in the Bundesliga. The team only narrowly missed out on European qualification this season.
Werner took over as Bremen coach in unusual circumstances in November 2021 after his predecessor Markus Anfang resigned while facing an investigation into his use of a fake COVID-19 vaccine document.
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