National team
Sammer, Bobic, Matthew? The possible Bierhoff successors
Was already sports director at the DFB: Matthias Sammer. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Oliver Bierhoff is gone – and who is coming now? A number of names are played. The focus is on current TV experts and the golden generation of world champions.
Oliver Bierhoff worked for the DFB for almost two decades. The association structures were adapted to the work of the 54-year-old like never before. Bierhoff made enormous decisions within the new academy in Frankfurt/Main.
The search for a successor is correspondingly complicated – a 1:1 solution hardly seems possible and is not intended. The tasks of the “Managing Director Academy and National Team” could be divided. A face is required from all sides that represents the DFB selection to the outside world – like Bierhoff in his early years. The pool of candidates is large. Who will it be? And who doesn’t?
The Old Internationals
Matthias Sammer (55) was already sports director at the DFB (2006 to 2012), he then ripped FC Bayern out of the lethargy of second place. The Borussia Dortmund consultant enjoys a high reputation in the industry, and his name is mentioned quite often. In the end, however, he himself weighed it down. Record national player Lothar Matthäus (61) would be the best-known face of the past for the future of the DFB. The 1990 world champion also works as a TV expert and columnist. As an ambassador, he is closely linked to the world association FIFA.
The 2014 World Champions
There are several players from the golden Rio generation who are about to jump into management – or are already working there. All of them still have connections to the DFB selection and sometimes still play with the current national players. Sami Khedira (35) works as a close adviser to the club’s management at VfB Stuttgart, Per Mertesacker (38) did an excellent job at Arsenal in youth work. Benedikt Höwedes (34) also worked as a Bierhoff trainee at the Qatar World Cup, while Bastian Schweinsteiger (38) sharpened his profile as a TV expert. World champion captain Philipp Lahm (39) is already closely involved in the association’s work as the head of the tournament at the home European Championship and seems to be more of a man for presidential tasks in the future.
The Bundesliga manager
Fredi Bobic (51) had shown at Eintracht Frankfurt that he can make a lot out of a little, at Hertha BSC things have been rather sluggish so far. Michael Zorc (60) ended his successful work at Borussia Dortmund in the summer, saying he wanted to turn his back on the business. Sven Mislintat (50), who has just left VfB Stuttgart, is said to have great reforming skills.
The other names
Ex-national player Thomas Hitzlsperger (40) is currently working as a DFB ambassador for diversity and, as a kind of sports director, would also stand for a new start. DFB Vice-President Célia Šašić has been officially responsible for equality and diversity since March, but as a former national player she would also have the know-how to intervene in the sporting area at any time.
In the area of the national teams, Bierhoff is followed in the DFB organization chart by Joti Chatzialexiou (46) as “Sports Director National Teams”, who has been working for the DFB since 2003. Tobias Haupt (38) as “Head of DFB Academy” stands for the second strand in Bierhoff’s area. Both as dual leaders would be the internal solution, but everyone within the association would have to be convinced of it. Nadine Kessler (34) works very successfully in the management structure of the European football union UEFA. Stefan Kuntz (60), currently Turkey’s national coach and former head of the German U21 selection, has also worked in club management. In every major reformer job in German football, the name Ralf Rangnick is mentioned again and again. The 64-year-old is currently team boss of the Austrian national team.