Jeff Strasser takes over Luxembourg’s national team and starts directly in the World Cup qualification. He left the future of a player condemned for assault.
“Of course I am very pleased that I was selected as a new national coachsaid Jeff Strasser at a press conference of the association from Luxembourg. “However, I would not say that I’m nervous. I know what work I have done so far and what I still want to achieve. I face the challenge.”
Strasser is now starting with the team in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. On September 4, a home game against Northern Ireland will start, followed by an away game in Slovakia. On October 10th in Sinsheim and November 14th in Luxembourg, Germany is the opponent of Luxembourg.
The game against Germany takes place in the Stade de Luxembourg nation stadium.
Sporty crisis in full swing
Luxembourg’s national team is in a sporting crisis. In the Nations League Luxembourg became the last of his group without victory in League C and had to fear relegation in League D in the relegation in March 2026 – and there would then be waiting for Andorra and Liechtenstein. The rather weak form was also evident in test games, the defeats against Switzerland and Slovakia were at least a victory against Sweden.
It looked different: Luxembourg played a rarely strong qualification before the European Championship 2024. Since the qualification competitions for the World Cup and EM were played in groups, Luxembourg has always been the last or penultimate. In the EM qualification, Luxembourg played third in his group behind Portugal and Slovakia and only failed in the Playoffs to Georgia. Gerson Rodrigues scored five goals in eight games from the EM qualification.
The Luxembourg national player Gerson Rodrigues
Causa Rodrigues employs Luxembourg’s football
The association has been busy with Gerson Rodrigues for months. Rodrigues had been sentenced to a prison for multiple bodily harm. The court saw it as proven that Rodrigues beat its girlfriend at the time in November 2022. He is also said to have broken bones on his face in front of a night club in Luxembourg city and knocked out a tooth to another. He denied the allegations.
Despite the conviction, Rodrigues was nominated for the national team. The association argued not to punish Rodrigues a second time. The discussion about it escalated, folders prevented a protest in a game. Then the turn: The association blocked Rodrigues internally after he did not want to apologize for his behavior. Official reason: The association’s reputation is in danger.
Trainer Luc Holtz, who was supposed to leave his post at the end of the year anyway, asked the case to be resolved immediately and moved to Germany to Waldhof Mannheim to Germany.
Luxembourg’s previous national coach Luc Holtz
Strasser leaves the future handling of Rodrigues
“I already thought that this topic would arise”, Said Strasser when he was addressed when he took up the company, which was now blocked internally. “A squad will be announced next Thursday, for which Gerson Rodrigues cannot be nominated. The association’s board of directors with President Paul Philipp has decided that this player must not be there until further notice.” Then he added: “We see what the future brings.”