Latest news with #Köln
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1. FC Köln sign Ragnar Ache
1. FC Köln have announced the signing of Ragnar Ache (26) from Kaiserslautern for a reported €4.5m. The former Germany youth international has signed a four-year deal with the newly-promoted Bundesliga club, running until 2029. 'When I got the call from Köln, I just thought: Great! Now I'm really happy that my move to Cologne has worked out and I can't wait to play at the RheinEnergieStadion. At my last game for Kaiserslautern, I was already able to experience the incredible atmosphere of the Cologne fans,' said Ache. Advertisement Köln Sporting Director Thomas Kessler added: 'Even in my initial discussions with Ragnar, I had a feeling that he was a great fit for 1. FC Köln, both athletically and personally. He's not only a really good striker, but also someone who will integrate quickly into our team and improve our attack with his quality up front.' A criticism of Köln last season was their weak attack. The Billy Goats scored just 53 goals in 34 league games, the least of any team in the top eight of the 2. Bundesliga last season. Ache scored 18 and provided one assists in 30 second divisions games for Kaiserslautern last season. GGFN | Daniel Pinder
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
German Court Says Meta Can Use User Data to Train AI
A German court on Friday dismissed an injunction request brought by consumer protection groups to prevent US tech giant Meta from using user data from Facebook and Instagram to train artificial intelligence systems. The higher regional court in Cologne concluded Meta, which owns both social media platforms, had not violated European Union law. "Meta is pursuing a legitimate end by using the data to train artificial intelligence systems," the court said in a statement. Feeding user data into AI training systems was allowed "even without the consent of those affected", it added. Meta has announced plans to begin training AI models with data from Facebook and Instagram from Tuesday, said AFP. The court said the balance of interests between the parties was in favor of allowing Meta to process user data to develop AI. The training of AI systems "cannot be achieved by other equally effective, less intrusive means", the court said. Among the reasons cited by judges was Facebook's intention to only use publicly available data that could also be found via search. Meta had also "taken effective measures to significantly mitigate the impact" on users, the court said, including communicating the plans via its mobile apps. The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center, which brought the case, said it still found the use of user data "highly problematic". "There are still considerable doubts about the legality," the organization's chief, Wolfgang Schuldzinski, said in a statement. The Vienna-based privacy campaign group Noyb said last week it had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta over the plans to use user data for AI training. The letter was the first step ahead of a possible injunction request or class-action lawsuit against Meta, the group said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
German Rights Group Fails in Bid Stop Meta's Data Use for AI
A German consumer rights group on Friday failed to win a court injunction to stop Meta Platforms from training its artificial intelligence models with Facebook and Instagram user posts. The court in the western city of Cologne said it did not grant an injunction sought by state-funded consumer rights group Verbraucherzentrale NRW, Reuters reported. Meta said last month it would train its AI models in the European Union with public posts of adults across its platforms, as well as with interactions that users have with its artificial intelligence. Meta said at the time that its platforms' users in the EU would be notified of the project and that they would be given the opportunity to opt out.
CNA
23-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
German rights group fails in bid stop Meta's data use for AI
A German consumer rights group on Friday failed to win a court injunction to stop Meta Platforms from training its artificial intelligence models with Facebook and Instagram user posts. The court in the western city of Cologne said it did not grant an injunction sought by state-funded consumer rights group Verbraucherzentrale NRW. Meta said last month it would train its AI models in the European Union with public posts of adults across its platforms, as well as with interactions that users have with its artificial intelligence. Meta said at the time that its platforms' users in the EU would be notified of the project and that they would be given the opportunity to opt out.
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
1. FC Köln Secure Promotion Back To The Bundesliga
1. FC Köln players celebrate winning the 2. Bundesliga championship (Photo by Federico ... More Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images) On Sunday, 1. FC Köln secured promotion back to the German top flight thanks to a 4-0 win over Kaiserslautern. Eric Martel (14'), Luca Waldschmidt (29'), Florian Kainz (76'), and Mark Uth (82') were the goalscorers in front of 50,000 spectators at a fully sold-out RheinEnergieStadion. 'Those are the stories that only football writes,' Köln head coach Friedhelm Funkel said about the Uth goal. The 33-year-old one-time German national team player will retire at the end of the season. 'His goal pretty much sealed promotion for us.' Ultimately, his goal didn't just secure promotion. But Köln also secured first place in the 2. Bundesliga and, as a result, the 2. Bundesliga Meisterschale. Although that title was almost secondary, considering that Hamburger SV surrendered first place in the standings after securing promotion one week ago. Still, Köln will take this after a difficult start to the season. In fact, the club was significantly hamstrung by a transfer ban that wasn't lifted until January. Going into the season, Köln wasn't allowed to make any transfers in the summer, and the ban was only lifted in January. With that in mind, expectations were somewhat mixed ahead of the campaign. Always an emotional club shifting between one extreme and another, quite a few voices worried about potential relegation to the 3. Liga. Those voices only got amplified after a poor start to the season. Head coach Gerhard Struber, however, switched out goalkeeper Jonas Urbig for Marvin Schwäbe. In the short term, the switch stabilized the club. But it also meant that Urbig was unsettled and then pushed for a move away from the club, eventually joining Bayern Munich in January. With Köln securing the title, Urbig becomes just the third player in history to win the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga titles in the same year. In retrospect, pushing out Urbig might have been worth it. But it was one of many decisions that eventually came to haunt head coach Struber and director of sport Christian Keller. 71-year-old head coach Funkel helped Köln get promotion across the line. (Photo by Christof ...) On course for promotion, results started to slip in April. Then, on May 4, with just two games left in the season, the club fired both Struber and Keller. While the director of sports position remains vacant, Struber was replaced by 71-year-old Funkel. A controversial decision, after all, even Funkel admitted that the squad was in good shape. 'When I arrived here, everyone was in brilliant shape,' Funkel said post-game. 'There wasn't much I had to do to get this across the line.' At this point, Funkel may have realized that he put himself in risky territory. 'Well, I had to make a few tiny tweaks,' Funkel added. The decision to fire Struber and Keller on a whim fits a club often guided by populism rather than rational decision-making. Both have made mistakes in their tenure at the club. Struber, in fact, struggled in his two previous roles at New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg. Conversely, Köln fans came into the season expecting the worst. It was only because of Keller and Struber that the dream of promotion became a reality. Even Funkel admitted that Keller had put together a strong squad. 'When I looked around the league, I have to say HSV and Köln have the strongest squads,' Funkel said. 'For me, they were the favorites to go up.' Both HSV and Köln are now back in the Bundesliga. That's good news for the Bundesliga, which was desperate to get some of the blue-chip clubs stuck in the second division back to the first division. But will they remain there? On balance, HSV might be in a slightly better position. The club has a talented coach, Marvin Polzin, and a brilliant sporting director, Stefan Kuntz. Köln, in turn, is without a coach and sporting director. At least, Funkel hinted that he was open to continuing in his role. 'I am definitely open for everything,' Funkel said. But is a 71-year-old coach the right man to guide Köln to the future? Time will tell.
