Jogi Löw: The ex-national coach deserves another farewell

Ex-national coach
A cold November evening in Wolfsburg: Jogi Löw deserves a more worthy farewell

by Eugen Epp
11/11/2021, 10:49 a.m.

There are few places in Germany that look really attractive on a cold November evening – at the time when it gets dark early and the Christmas markets are not yet open. An international match in a draughty football stadium in Wolfsburg (!) Against Liechtenstein (!!) is definitely not one of them. It is more of a must in the seasonal calendar than a festive evening.

And yet this is exactly the framework for the farewell of the record national coach. Joachim Löw, who everyone only knows as Jogi, was in charge of the national team in 198 games between 2006 and 2021, and in 2014 he brought the world championship title to Germany. His term of office ended after the EM this year, and in the evening he will be officially adopted: in Wolfsburg. Against Liechtenstein. One would have wished for a more dignified farewell for a man of such merit.

Joachim Löw is officially retired as national coach

Nothing against Wolfsburg, but the city and its VW arena are not exactly traditional locations in German football history. Seven degrees are predicted for Wednesday evening, at least it should stay dry – you can’t expect more from the weather. But it could have been one of the great sites in football Germany as the setting for the Löw farewell: Dortmund, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg. Wolfsburg looks more like a province, even if the stadium with 26,000 spectators will be sold out.

There will probably be flowers and a few warm words, maybe even tears from the former national coach. And then Germany plays against Liechtenstein. If there were still the little ones in football, Liechtenstein would definitely be one of them. You don’t have to expect great entertainment from this last World Cup qualifier. From a sporting point of view, the kick is meaningless anyway, the DFB-Elf is already qualified for the tournament. After all his successes, someone like Löw would have deserved a great farewell, with a classic like against Italy or England (even if Löw has rather bad memories of both). Or against Brazil – the ex-national coach thinks back with fondness.

15 years national coach

A career in pictures: Joachim Löw’s ups and downs

Return
Further

Germany versus Liechtenstein: Real appreciation looks different

Now all of this is not easily possible in a packed season and in the grip of the corona measures. Many people, not just Jogi Löw, have had to refrain from adequately celebrating large events in the past year and a half. Nevertheless, the feeling remains: At the DFB, you could have made a little more effort for your former managerial staff. This frame does not look like real appreciation and sincere thanks. There would also be the possibility to say goodbye to Löw now symbolically and in the spring on a grand scale.

Symptomatic of the picture that DFB and Löw recently gave

But unfortunately Wolfsburg and Liechtenstein fit perfectly into the picture that the association and national coach recently gave. The DFB has been reliably wrong when it comes to questions of style for years. It is telling that Jogi Löw will be bid farewell in the evening with Peter Peters by a president who is only filling the office on an interim basis – because once again a DFB boss had to resign. The big topic around the Liechtenstein game will not be football or Löw, but the corona cases in the German team. Some still active players, with whom Löw has a close relationship, will not be there.

And finally, the way of saying goodbye also stands for Löw’s last, tough years with the national team. The successful coach missed his hat at the right time, damaged his legacy at the 2018 and 2021 tournaments. However, it should not be forgotten which successes Löw celebrated with the DFB: world champion, runner-up European champion, third place in the World Cup, beautiful football. Somebody like that would have deserved a lavish football festival to finish off.