By Erbil Basay
BERLIN (AA) - Markus Gisdol will no longer be head coach of Lokomotiv Moscow, the football club’s official website said Tuesday.
According to a club statement, the German coach was dismissed, and Marvin Kompper will take over his duties as acting head coach.
Gisdol, on the other hand, told the German press that he resigned to protest the Russia’s war on Ukraine, as it is not in line with his values.
The 52-year-old added that leaving was his decision and he was sure of it.
Gisdol was appointed manager of the club in Russia’s capital just last October.
In protest of Russia’s war on Ukraine, a number of high-profile sports events set to be held in Russia have been relocated, games with Russian teams have been cancelled, and Russian athletes have been excluded from international competitions.
Since Russia's war on Ukraine began last Thursday, it has been met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.
So far, at least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.
Nearly 680,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said on Tuesday.
* Writing by Selcuk Bugra Gokalp