Hansi Flick probably doesn’t agree with Oliver Bierhoff’s departure.Image: dpa / Christian Charisius
After the performance of the DFB team at the World Cup in Qatar, Hansi Flick has been criticized. According to a “Kicker” survey with over 365,000 participants, 55 percent of the German fans deprive the national coach of their trust and their office. On Wednesday, the 57-year-old should report to DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and his deputy Hans-Joachim Watzke.
After the resignation of Oliver Bierhoff, according to “mirror” but changed the sign of the meeting: According to this, Flick should no longer have to answer for the World Cup failure, instead Watzke and Neuendorf should fight to keep Flick at the DFB.
After 18 years in the sporting management of the national team, Oliver Bierhoff was over after the World Cup in Qatar.Image: www.imago-images.de / ULMER press photo agency
National coach Flick calls for “loyalty, team spirit and trust”
Apparently, when he took office a year ago, the ex-Bayern coach had hoped to join a team where dissent and external criticism had no place – just as was the case with his predecessor Jogi Löw for 15 years. “Our cooperation has always been characterized by loyalty, team spirit, trust and reliability,” explains Flick in one Announcement on the DFB homepage. “Cohesion was in the DNA of our team,” he looks back.
Hansi Flick (left) was Joachim Löw’s assistant coach for eight years.Image: dpa / Thomas Eisenhuth
However, since the end of the World Cup and Bierhoff’s subsequent resignation, the harmony has been over for the time being. “For me personally, Oliver was my first point of contact and friend within the team,” Flick regretted the team manager’s departure on Tuesday.
According to “Spiegel”, harmony was so important to Flick that he secured a special clause when signing his contract, which guaranteed continued cooperation with Bierhoff and assured him as the first point of contact in the association. This clause is now obviously obsolete.
Other top coaches can also imagine a national coaching job
According to the report, it is quite possible that Flick will now give up. Not because the Germans he trained National team is worse than ever, but because the DFB does not offer him the environment he demands.
“My coaching staff and I fell […] difficult to imagine, like the gap created by Oliver’s departure […] can be closed”, Flick emphasizes in his statement his dissatisfaction with the latest development. Now DFB President Bernd Neuendorf should show the coach how the no-dissent harmony in the national team can be restored.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (left) with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.Image: AP / Martin Meissner
However, it is questionable whether Neuendorf will get involved in this game: After his triple victory with the Bavaria and a strong start as national coach (13 games without defeat), Flick actually has good arguments on his side.
But the second World Cup in a row in the group phase – for which Flick bears a great deal of responsibility as a coach – seems to be the worst possible time to make demands. Instead, one would expect a leader in such a situation to take responsibility.
In addition, Flick is far from the only top coach who can lead the national team. Among other things, ex-world coach Thomas Tuchel is currently looking for a job.