National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, who is currently taking a break, reported back to the public weeks after the World Cup exit.
“I have had my vacation approved by the DFB for 14 days,” said the 55-year-old to the German Press Agency about her appearances as a speaker in the past few days. According to her husband, Voss-Tecklenburg is no longer on sick leave. However, her future with the German Football Association is still unclear.
When asked, the DFB confirmed: “Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is no longer on sick leave and has been on vacation since then. A joint conversation should take place immediately after the end of the vacation.” The association has been informed about possible event visits from your side. It continued: “The DFB has taken note of Voss-Tecklenburg’s appearance at the Bavarian Dentists’ Day.”
This month, Voss-Tecklenburg gave a lecture at both the Bavarian Dentists’ Day in Munich and at a forum of the Federal Association of German Prefabricated Buildings, as the Bavarian Dental Association and the BDF reported. “My wife is no longer on sick leave, otherwise she would not have appeared at the dentists’ day,” Hermann Tecklenburg told dpa. In Munich, Voss-Tecklenburg spoke on the topic “Forms to perform – My change management in women’s football”.
Hrubesch introduced as interim national coach
The DFB announced on September 8th that Voss-Tecklenburg was ill and was temporarily being represented by her assistant Britta Carlson. Horst Hrubesch was introduced as interim national coach last Friday. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said that the association was giving Voss-Tecklenburg time to recover.
Voss-Tecklenburg herself has not yet commented on her health. Her husband told “Bild” in September: “The World Cup in Australia took a lot out of her. She came back from Australia sick, she was mentally and physically weak.”
The 125-time national player was surprisingly eliminated in the preliminary round with the German soccer players at the World Cup in Australia. Your contract with the DFB runs until the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland.
Her return as national coach has long been considered unlikely. There is said to have been criticism of her work internally. DFB managing director Andreas Rettig recently suggested that there could be a future without Voss-Tecklenburg as national coach: “We have to be prepared in the event that there is no bridge.” Voss-Tecklenburg is now represented by a lawyer.
Team fights for Olympic ticket
Within the German team, before signing Hrubesch, who had already helped out with the women in 2018, captain Alexandra Popp, among others, pushed for a quick solution. The state of limbo surrounding Voss-Tecklenburg had become a burden for the European vice-champions. The selection is currently fighting in the Nations League for the Olympic tickets for Paris 2024. Hrubesch will be on the sidelines again for the first time next Friday (5.45 p.m.) in Sinsheim against Wales.
Neuendorf responded to the question about Voss-Tecklenburg on Friday during the Hrubesch press conference: “You won’t seriously expect me to comment on rumors up here, but rather that we simply stick to what we have always said: We are employers by Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. We have a responsibility, we want her to recover well.”
This is the most important thing, says Neuendorf. “That’s why we’re waiting for it calmly. We have a clear agreement that we’ll then sit down together.” All topics would then be discussed, said Neuendorf. “We give her this time and give ourselves. There is no pressure here in any way.”
