News blog about 1. FC Cologne
New assistant coach starts at FC – some players are missing
Updated March 27, 2026 – 2:30 p.mReading time: 31 minutes
1. FC Köln is fighting to stay in the Bundesliga. In the news blog on t-online you will find all the important news about the Geißbockheim.
René Wagner has completed the first week of training. The new head coach called for the last session before the weekend off on Friday morning. Also on the pitch: Lukas Sinkiewicz. The ex-professional was introduced as another assistant coach to Wagner shortly before the start of training.
“It was important for us to expand our coaching team with a personality who can look back on a successful professional career and who can bring this experience into the work with the team every day,” says managing director Thomas Kessler about the personnel. Sinkiewicz knows FC and is “an ideal addition to our coaching team. I am very pleased that the discussions with René led to us being able to convince Lukas to support us in the challenges of the coming weeks.”
Some players missed the first session of the new Wagner assistant. In addition to the long-term injured Timo Hübers, Luca Kilian, Alessio Castro-Montes and Joel Schmied, Tom Krauß, Ragnar Ache and Florian Kainz also took a step back and trained individually. Meanwhile, Rav van den Berg, Isak Johannesson, Said El Mala and Jakub Kaminski are with their national teams. There were 14 field players and three goalkeepers on the field on Friday.
Thursday March 26, 2026
The 1. FC Cologne has extended the contract with U19 talent Benjamin Ley long-term and also wants to retain other talents at Geißbockheim. Ley, who was born in Berlin, has been involved in the youth teams at the FC Academy since he was seven years old. In November 2025, the 17-year-old was one of three Cologne players who took part in the U17 World Cup.
“I am very happy about the trust of those responsible and would like to thank everyone who has accompanied me on my journey to this point. Today is a big dream for me coming true,” said Ley. He is pleased to have “extended his contract with my hometown club, which I have loved since I can remember.” And Ley also wants to mature into a professional at this club: “I will continue to work hard on my dream of playing in front of 50,000 fans in the Rheinenergiestadion.”
