National team
Rettig on national coach question: Klopp “not an issue”
For DFB managing director Andreas Rettig, Jürgen Klopp as national coach is not an issue. photo
© Jürgen Kessler/dpa
Who will look after the German national team after the European Championships? If the home tournament is successful, there can only be one solution for the managing director.
DFB managing director Andreas Rettig can well imagine a longer-term future with national coach Julian Nagelsmann and has not yet made any contact with Jürgen Klopp.
“You don’t send a successful national coach away…” said Rettig in an interview with “Focus Online”. With a view to the home European Championships (June 14th to July 14th), the 60-year-old official did not want to commit to a specific round that Nagelsmann had to reach with the national team.
“I’m not one of those who dictates rankings now. It would be important that hearts fall to us. That wouldn’t be a bad thing,” said Rettig. Nagelsmann initially has a contract until the European Championships. In the preliminary round, the national team, which has been weak in recent tournaments, faces Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland. “Fourth in the preliminary round at a home European Championship would certainly not be a good application letter,” clarified Rettig.
Rettig called Nagelsmann’s interaction with the team, the coaching staff and the sports director “impressive”. Meanwhile, there have been no discussions with successful coach Klopp, whose era at Liverpool FC ends this summer. “We respect what he and his management said. He wants a break and that’s why it’s not an issue,” said Rettig. When asked, he specified: “There was no contact. He took a break for himself.”