Advertisement

Löw to stay on as Germany coach after World Cup humiliation

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Löw to stay on as Germany coach after World Cup humiliation
Photo: DPA

Joachim Löw has chosen to stay on as coach of the German national team despite a historic debacle at the World Cup in Russia, German media are reporting.

Advertisement

The World Cup winning coach will not give up his role despite the Nationalelf crashing out of the 2018 tournament at the group stage, Bild and the Süddeustche Zeitung reported on Tuesday.

The German Football Association (DFB) has still not confirmed the decision. The trainer, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, signed a contract with the DFB before this year’s tournament to stay on as coach until 2022.

The SZ reports that the executive committee of the DFB decided to stick with Löw during a telephone conference last Friday.

After the defeat to South Korea in the last group game that pushed Germany through the exit door, Löw said that “deep-reaching measures” needed to be taken to put the team back on track.

The trainer took over from Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach in 2006 and guided his teams to at least the semi finals in every tournament until 2018.

Loew said: "I am very grateful for the confidence that the DFB has again shown in me and I feel a lot of support and encouragement despite the 
justified criticism of our elimination.

"I am still hugely disappointed, but now my team and I would like to get started on the rebuilding. I will analyse with my team, hold discussions and 
draw conclusions before the start of the new season. That all takes time, but it will be done by the time international matches start in September."

Senior players Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller have given Löw their backing, yet could all face the axe after poor displays.

There are, however, reports of player disgruntlement in other quarters with Löw.

Frankfurt-based newspaper FAZ quoted unnamed Germany players who said the squad was deeply divided between senior and younger players in Russia.

There was also resentment to the special status given to captain Manuel Neuer.

The goalkeeper played all three group games, ahead of Barcelona star Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, even though Neuer had just returned from eight months sidelined by a foot fracture.

That was "a problem for some players" as Löw had said he would only use those who were playing well regularly.

Other complaints included Löw giving priority to established players, the choice of Germany's isolated World Cup base in south-west Moscow and the poor handling of the pre-World Cup scandal involving Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan.

Their loyalty to Germany was brought into question on the eve of the World Cup after meeting Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who Gundogan presented with a jersey signed "to my president".

Both players were booed by German fans during pre-World Cup friendlies, which overshadowed preparations for the finals.

Ozil refused to comment on the controversy during the World Cup while Gundogan gave a single interview in which he said the furore was "a difficult experience".

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also