BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso will leave his role at the end of the season, with the Spaniard saying on Friday the time was right after a fruitful three-year spell, as media reports link him to the Real Madrid job for next term.

Alonso took charge of Leverkusen in October 2022 and guided them to the double last season as they lifted their first Bundesliga title, without losing a game, while they also won the German Cup and reached the Europa League final.

Alonso had a contract until 2026 but the club said they had granted his wish to terminate his deal at the end of the season.

"We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach," Alonso told reporters.
Leverkusen, who will finish the season as runners-up to Bayern Munich, host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday in what will be Alonso's final home game before ending the Bundesliga campaign at Mainz 05 on May 17.

"We've been talking during this week and now it's the right moment to announce it," Alonso added of his departure.

"Now that we have clarity it's the right moment to say that for sure it's a moment with mixed emotions, that it's the moment to announce it and to know it."

Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich reclaimed the Bundesliga title from Leverkusen with two games left to play, with Alonso's side currently eight points adrift of the Bavarians.

ALONSO'S LEGACY

Looking back at his time with Leverkusen, Alonso said the first season was the most difficult campaign as he came in with the club lying in the relegation zone before he propelled the side to a top-six finish to qualify for the Europa League.
"The second season was a historic season, it was a dream season with great nights, great games and we made history," he added.

"This season has been the most challenging one. When we had to fulfil expectations, when we were playing in the Champions League, where we were playing to try to give our best and when we don't make a final we are disappointed."

Leverkusen lost 5-0 on aggregate to Bayern in the Champions League last 16 and 2-1 to Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup.

"There has been development in the club, in the players and in myself. I have learned so many things and I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future."

Alonso also said he was proud of what he is leaving behind - a squad capable of fighting for titles.

REAL MADRID?

Asked about what he will do next, Alonso said: "It's not the moment to talk too much about the future because now that we know, we want to have a proper farewell on Sunday here for some players, for myself."

Alonso has been widely tipped to return to Real Madrid, the club where he won four major trophies as a player, including the 10th Champions League crown that the Spanish giants had waited 12 years to win.

Spanish media reports have said Real manager Carlo Ancelotti could leave the club at the end of the season after they were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and lost the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona.

Holders Real are second in LaLiga, four points behind Barca with four games left and visit their rivals on Sunday.

Ancelotti has been linked with the Brazil job and has not confirmed if he will take charge of Real at the Club World Cup in the United States next month, saying that he would talk about his future on May 25 - the final day of the LaLiga season.

When Alonso was asked if he held a valid visa to travel to the U.S., the Spaniard smiled and said: "No idea!"

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will move its remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates in the wake of Pakistan’s ongoing conflict with India, the country’s cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday.
Thursday’s PSL match in Rawalpindi was postponed amid escalating hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and Naqvi said the decision to move the last eight games was made to ensure players avoid “possible reckless targeting.”
Across the border, India’s cricket board is considering suspending the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the rising tensions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
IPL organizers have said they are awaiting government advice before determining the fate of the remainder of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart,” Naqvi, also Pakistan’s interior minister, said in a statement.
“As a responsible organization that has overcome adversities repeatedly and ensured that the game of cricket flourishes, it was important for us to ensure the mental well-being of all players participating in the PSL.”
India’s cricket board (BCCI) has moved Sunday’s IPL match in Dharamsala near the Pakistan border to Ahmedabad in the west. A match at the same venue in the northern city was abandoned midway due to what officials said was a power failure.
Vice president Rajeev Shukla said they were waiting for government advice on Friday.
“The situation is changing day by day,” Shukla told the Indian Express newspaper.
“We will do whatever we are told and inform all stakeholders. At the moment, our priority is the safety of all players, fans and other stakeholders.”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had told Reuters on Thursday that the IPL’s foreign players were “comfortable” to continue playing. He did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The two countries have been clashing since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on Wednesday that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for a deadly attack in its restive region of Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved.
Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries have exchanged cross-border firing and shelling and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace since then, with nearly four dozen people dying in the violence.