Football – Despite the World Cup: A new contract for Denmark’s coach Hjolmand – Sport

COPENHAGEN (AP) – Despite a disappointing preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar, the Danish Football Association has extended the contract with its national coach Kasper Hjolmand.

The German Football Association (DBU) has announced that the former Bundesliga coach from Mainz 05 has signed a new contract, valid until the 2026 World Cup.

“Casper has been fantastic with the players and achieved great sporting results,” said sporting director Peter Mueller. And the former international forward was referring to Euro 2021 in particular, when the Danes reached the semi-finals despite the collapse of their best player, Christian Eriksen.

Praise for close integration

In Qatar, the team could no longer live up to the high expectations and was only last in the preliminary round with France, Australia and Tunisia. However, the union outweighs Hjulmand’s other merits more than this sporting setback. The senior national team under the 51-year-old has become more closely associated with the country’s youth and club teams. It also enjoys “historically significant support from the entire Danish population,” according to the association’s statement.

Hgulmand was the coach of the Mainz national team in the 2014/2015 season and coached his country in 2020. His next sporting goals are the 2024 European Championship in Germany and the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. “My goal was to get the whole of Denmark behind this team and to inspire it. I think we did that. But it can’t stop there,” Hjolmand said.

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