Start of the basketball European Championship
National coach has to go to the hospital – and miss the start
26.08.2025 – 1:31 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Germany starts the SEM basketball on Wednesday. But a key figure is missing in the duel against Montenegro.
At the start of the SEM basketball, the German national team must do without its head coach. Due to illness, Alex Mumbru will not be on the sidelines if the DBB team starts in the tournament against Montenegro on Wednesday.
As the German Basketball Bund (DBB) announced, the Spaniard was brought to the hospital in Finnish tampere on Monday with an “acute infection”. The association said that Mumbru was treated there, but is now much better for him. The DBB did not provide any further information on the state of health.
In the European Championship opening game (on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. in the live ticker), assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic takes command on the sidelines. The 47-year-old already headed the media dates instead of Mumbrus on Tuesday. “So far we have done everything in the team. I feel like we do it together. One has to stand there, I am. We hope that Alex will be back as soon as possible,” said Ibrahimagic. He also emphasized that he “doesn’t want to talk too much about himself”.
Mumbru was still in use at the last test game against Spain on Saturday that Germany won 95:78. The fact that the head coach is now missing the opening game came as a surprise to many – also for the players. Center Johannes Thiemann said it was of course a shame not to be able to play the first game together with Mumbru, but you have to accept it as follows: “We can’t change it.”
Ibrahimagic assumes that Mumbru will be there again in the second group game against Sweden on Friday.