Niko Kovac will be the new coach of Borussia Dortmund as last season's Champions League runner-up looks to rescue a troubled season.
The former Bayern Munich and Monaco coach will start work on Sunday.
Dortmund will discuss potential signings with Kovac before the transfer window closes on Monday, club managing director for sport Lars Ricken said.
“Niko’s teams have always been characterised by energy, determination and a sense of the importance of team spirit,” Ricken said in a club statement on Thursday.
“We want to feel and see all of this both on and off the pitch. We find ourselves in a challenging situation and are certain that in Niko we have found a coach who is capable of overcoming it.”
Youth team coach Mike Tullberg oversaw the 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday — Dortmund's first win of the new year in all competitions — and will remain in his interim head coach role for Saturday's Bundesliga game at Heidenheim, Ricken said.
Dortmund confirmed on Thursday that Kovac joins on a contract through to the end of next season. His brother, former Dortmund player Robert Kovac, will be one of his assistants.
Kovac takes over a team which is 11th in the Bundesliga and is heading for a playoff in the Champions League after finishing 10th in the 36-team league phase. Nuri Sahin was fired last week following a 2-1 loss at Bologna.
“The most important thing for all of us now is to have absolute determination, a big heart and the willingness to work hard to represent Borussia Dortmund in the best possible way in the Bundesliga, the Champions League and at the Club World Cup in the summer,” Kovac said in a club statement. "We are taking on this challenge with determination and focus.”
It's the first job for Kovac since March when he was fired as the coach of Wolfsburg. Born in Berlin, Kovac played international soccer for Croatia and coached Croatia from 2013-15.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk in Dortmund, Germany, Jan. 29, 2025. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)
FILE - Wolfsburg's head coach Niko Kovac smiles prior to the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart in Wolfsburg, Germany, Saturday, March 2, 2024. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center was running out of options Friday evening to keep President Donald Trump's name on the facade of the iconic performing arts venue.
A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Center's operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.
Scaffolding was erected earlier in the day around a section of the building that includes Trump's name. After a round of storms passed Friday evening, multiple workers were back at the scene further building out the scaffolding in an apparent effort to prepare for removing the letters referencing the president.
Dozens of people gathered in the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as workers built the scaffolding.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump's name was quickly added to the building.
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center's name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The Kennedy Center's leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump's speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.
“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”
Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump's name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper's initial ruling.
A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump's name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Workers construct scaffolding at the sign for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Workers construct scaffolding below the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A worker sits on scaffolding at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
