LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — The legacy of Xabi Alonso still looms large at Bayer Leverkusen. Now the team he led to an unlikely Bundesliga title is trying to find success again with another Spanish coach.
Carles Martínez told the Associated Press he wants to learn from Alonso's example, and might seek the now-Chelsea coach 's advice, but he wants to put his own imprint on Leverkusen.
It's barely a year since Alonso left Leverkusen for Real Madrid, and two since he led Leverkusen to the German title and an historic unbeaten league season.
Martínez arrives from Toulouse amid hopes he can turn things around after Leverkusen started 2025-26 under Erik ten Hag, only to fire him after three games, then missed Champions League qualification under replacement Kasper Hjulmand.
“One thing I have learned a lot is to accept the reality, accept the place that you are (at), and here in Leverkusen it’s normal that the brand of Xabi Alonso (remains) because what they did was amazing and we have to try to take advantage of a lot of things from that,” he told the AP on Friday.
“But also it’s important that now it’s one year without Xabi Alonso. I’m sure that if I talk with him he will try to help (the club) to be better. But the most important is that after one year, come on, (I have to) learn about which type of things was amazing, which type of things Kasper (Hjulmand) did as well, and which type of things can improve, and after (that) it’s keep growing, keep building Leverkusen history. This is very, very important.”
Martínez said he wants to focus on communication with players and building team spirit — something that was much criticized during Ten Hag's brief tenure last year.
Once a Barcelona youth coach who worked with a young Gavi and Xavi Simons, Martínez wants to develop more young talent at Leverkusen, which has a reputation for producing some of Europe's top players like Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz.
Leverkusen sporting managing director Simon Rolfes told the AP he was aiming for stability in the squad after last season's turmoil, and signings this offseason would focus on “more precise” changes to the team.
“Last summer was a massive change of the squad, massive change of key players. So we really needed to restart building the squad,” Rolfes said. “Last summer for sure there were so many question marks in so many things and that was a challenge, so I think we can take advantage this summer from the things we did last summer.”
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Bayer Leverkusen new coach Carles Martinez Novell smiles during his presentation at a press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday June 5, 2026. (Anke Waelischmiller/dpa via AP)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, an online joke that drew millions across India, gathered for the first time in the national capital on Saturday, taking the social media movement off screens and into its biggest real-world test yet.
The protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, marks the movement’s first foray into street politics after weeks of dominating social media feeds and news headlines, attracting millions of online followers and widespread support among young Indians.
Hundreds of mostly young Indians gathered in the heart of New Delhi’s protest zone near Parliament, some with placards and cockroach masks. How many ultimately would join remained unclear, making the event an early test of whether the movement can channel its online popularity into a broader grassroots support around growing frustration among young Indians over education, jobs and economic prospects.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the online movement, arrived in the capital from the U.S. on Saturday to participate in the protest. Police laid steel barricades at arrivals at New Delhi's international airport.
Dipke said in a social media post that police granted permission to the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, to hold the protest, saying, “Cockroaches gather at Jantar Mantar.”
CJP organizers used social media to rally supporters for Saturday’s march, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demand grew out of an exam irregularity controversy in May that quickly became a broader outlet for frustration over India’s education system and limited job opportunities.
Supporters chanted slogans including, “Cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is going!”
Participants were encouraged to bring India’s national flag and a book, which organizers said symbolized right to education and equal opportunity for all. Organizers also urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and avoid any confrontations with police.
“Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution,” the official CJP account on X posted Friday.
The CJP emerged only three weeks ago to become an unlikely outlet for discontent among supporters who proudly call themselves “cockroaches.”
India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant likened critics and some unemployed youth to cockroaches during a May hearing, sparking backlash among frustrated young Indians. Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University student, used the insult as inspiration for a parody political party. Within a week of launching a website and social media accounts, CJP's Instagram page had amassed more than 15 million followers.
The party has turned the cockroach into a wry badge of endurance and political articulation. Videos and memes lampooning unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction have drawn millions of views online. Parody CJP accounts also have adopted the cockroach as a political symbol and use memes, mock campaign slogans and satirical commentary.
The movement’s tongue-in-cheek messaging blends self-deprecating humor with political criticism. Supporters jokingly describe themselves as unemployed, perpetually online and shut out of meaningful influence. Beneath the humor lies a broader criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, as CJP supporters argue that ordinary Indians, particularly young people, have been left with fewer opportunities.
Young people in India make up more than a quarter of the population but face limited job opportunities, rising unemployment and growing disillusionment with traditional politics. Many young voters also are critical of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, citing concerns over rising religious polarization, widening inequality and mounting economic pressures.
The movement's skeptics, particularly supporters of Modi’s party, dismiss the phenomenon as little more than a social-media gimmick. They argue the movement’s online popularity may not translate into street mobilization and that its rapid rise is likely fleeting.
The group's rise echoes a similar trend across South Asia of youth movements born out of social media playing a central role in anti-government protests, including uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and unrest in Nepal.
The movement still faces significant hurdles. Over the past decade, Indian authorities under Modi have sought to stamp out protests against his government, including demonstrations against a controversial citizenship legislation and yearlong farmers' protests.
Some protest movements also have faced legal action against organizers and activist arrests, which is part of what critics describe as a broader effort by authorities under Modi to suppress dissent.
Associated Press journalist Shonal Ganguly in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party gestures as he manages the crowd during a protest demonstration in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party shout slogans against the government during a protest in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A participant wears a cockroach mask as supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party gather for a protest demonstration in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Saurabh Das, center, spokesperson of Cockroach Janta Party waits for the arrival of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of CJP at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Abhijeet Dipke founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Security personnel stand guard before the arrival of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of Cockroach Janta at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
