National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will not resign after the historic preliminary round of the German soccer team at the World Cup in Australia. “I’ve never run away when things get difficult. That’s why I still have the determination to take the next steps in German women’s football with everyone involved,” said the 55-year-old at a DFB press conference in Wyong on Saturday, two days after the disappointing 1-1 draw with South Korea in Brisbane and missing the round of 16. She now wants to lead the German selection to the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Voss-Tecklenburg’s first task after the World Cup debacle is the duel on September 22 in Denmark to kick off the new Nations League. As President of the German Football Association, Bernd Neuendorf had previously supported the coach several times. “I’m convinced of her,” said the 62-year-old at a DFB event in Hanau, Hesse, on Friday. Neuendorf also pointed out that her contract had only been extended a few months ago.
Voss-Tecklenburg took over the women’s selection in 2018 as the successor to Horst Hrubesch, her contract runs until the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland. At the 2019 World Cup in France, the former national player failed with the German team in the quarterfinals against Sweden and thus also missed the Olympic participation.
At the European Championships last year, she led the DFB team to the final. There, the Germans lost to hosts England, but the successful tournament triggered euphoria at home. The first World Cup preliminary round in the history of the women’s national team was all the more surprising.
However, it has no effect on the desired qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The European teams can only secure the two places allocated to them through the Nations League. Immediately after the early end of the tournament in Australia, Voss-Tecklenburg left her personal future open, but recently indicated that she would continue.