Hansi Flick (58) is no longer the national coach. This was announced by the German Football Association. At the suggestion of DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (62), the shareholders’ meeting and the supervisory board have decided to “release national coach Hansi Flick and the two assistant coaches Marcus Sorg and Danny Röhl from their duties with immediate effect.” The DFB is drawing conclusions from the recent embarrassment (1:4) against Japan.
The committees agreed that the German national team “needs new impetus after the recent disappointing results,” Neuendorf is quoted as saying. With a view to the 2024 European Championships in Germany, “a spirit of optimism and confidence” is needed. For Neuendorf, it was “one of the most difficult decisions in my time in office so far,” as he valued Flick and the assistant coaches both in terms of football and as people. However, sporting success comes first for the German Football Association – and so “the decision was unavoidable”.
There is another game against France on September 12th. Sports director Rudi Völler (63) will look after the DFB team for a unique time together with Hannes Wolf (42) and Sandro Wagner (35). Flick has “worn himself out over the past few months” and given everything to turn the national team around after the World Cup exit, explains Völler. “Unfortunately we have to realize today that it was not successful.” He himself “firmly believed that as national coach he could get our national team back on track.”
It is not yet clear who will take over the job in the future. According to the DFB, the current goal is to “regulate Hansi Flick’s successor as quickly as possible.”
