Germany mistakenly names Latvian player in Nations League squad

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany had to hurriedly revise its squad list for the Nations League on Thursday after accidentally including a player from Latvia.

Listed alongside players like Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz on the German soccer federation website was the name of Dario Sits.

Sits is a 20-year-old forward from Dutch second division team Helmond Sport, where he’s on loan from Italian club Parma. Sits made his debut for Latvia last month and the closest he’s come to the German national team was playing for Latvia against Germany Under-21s in 2022.

Sits’ name was quickly removed and the federation blamed “a technical error in the database” in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

Otherwise, the squad for games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary next week contains few surprises. Germany has already qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals next year, and is pushing to win its group.

With Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen still injured, Manchester City backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega could win his first cap for Germany. Ortega has played four times for City this season and is one of three goalkeepers nominated along with Stuttgart’s Alexander Nübel and Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann.

Arsenal forward Havertz and Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala return after missing Germany’s last games with injuries, while the Borussia Dortmund midfield duo of Felix Nmecha and Julian Brandt are each recalled for the first time this year.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer