1. FC Köln is focusing on continuity with its talented players and has extended the coach’s contract until 2028.

The U21 team of 1. FC Köln has won only two of six games in the current season in the Regionalliga West. Most recently, there was a 3-2 home win against Wuppertaler SV, putting them in eleventh place after six match days. However, despite the room for improvement in terms of results, everyone in Cologne agrees that Evangelos Sbonias is the right coach for the team. Accordingly, his contract has now been extended until June 30, 2028.

Sbonias has been with FC since the summer of 2023 and, together with his coaching team, has led the U21s to sixth and eighth place in the table. In his role, he has also helped many talented young players from the FC academy put the finishing touches on their development ahead of their professional debut.

“I am very grateful for the trust placed in me and am delighted to continue my journey with the U21s. 1. FC Köln plays a very special role in our family, and I am proud to be part of this great FC family. I really enjoy developing our talented players and supporting them on their way to professional football. I would like to thank Lukas Berg and Thomas Kessler for the trusting discussions. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead,” says Sbonias.

And Lukas Berg, Technical Director, adds: “Laki and his team have done an excellent job over the last two years and developed many of our players through the U21s to the point where they have been able to hold their own in the professional team and contribute – that is the main task we pursue in the U21s. We feel a very high level of identification and passion for this role and for FC, but also that we still have further development steps ahead of us together. Therefore, an early extension is a logical step, which we are very happy about.”