The decision surrounding Hansi Flick, who has faced sharp scrutiny, was finalized within the German Football Association. The leadership lineup that will steer the team against France has been set in place.
Flick lingered to take photos after a public training session, signaling what some interpreted as a farewell moment. He toured Wolfsburg’s compact stadium during his lap of honor, and hours later the inevitable announcement arrived. Following the loss to Japan, the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed Flick’s resignation as national coach, a move taken amid a deep crisis.
Sporting director Rudi Völler, under-20 coach Hannes Wolf, and Sando Wagner will assume interim duties for Tuesday’s clash with world No. 2 France, taking charge on the bench in Dortmund. Völler remarked, “It isn’t easy for me, because in February I joined the DFB to support Hansi Flick in every way to secure success.”
Yet on-field results did not improve. The DFB President Bernd Neuendorf explained that action was necessary to bring fresh momentum to the senior team ahead of next year’s European Championship. “The committees agreed that the senior national team needs new momentum after recent poor results,” Neuendorf said, framing the decision as a hard but essential sprint toward optimism and confidence for the tournament on home soil.
Before Hansi Flick, no German national coach had been dismissed
Flick’s removal after 770 days marked a watershed, as no one in the seat before him had been fired. After the stubborn 1-4 defeat to Japan, the coach had little choice but to move on. Neuendorf stated, “Sporting success remains the federation’s primary aim, so the decision was unavoidable.” The federation did not announce a long-term successor yet, but the plan is to finalize the succession swiftly.
Names like Julian Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner, and Stefan Kuntz were floated as potential options to steer the team on the upcoming tour to the United States in October. Lothar Matthäus pressed for Matthias Sammer, who ultimately declined. The immediate priority is to avoid another catastrophe versus France, with Völler at the helm and Flick no longer in the frame.
Flick’s record, eight wins against second-tier opponents, did little to ease the situation. The World Cup debacle in Qatar left a deep mark, hindering the mood shift that was hoped for. In a rare moment of self-assessment, Flick insisted he believed the team was progressing and that he was the right coach, even as results suggested otherwise.
Joachim Löw’s former assistant also demonstrated tenacity during a public training session in front of 2,376 fans on Sunday afternoon. He shouted to the crowd, “I’m going to keep fighting,” while a young spectator wearing a T-shirt received a playful nudge from him. Yet he conceded that many factors in professional football remain unpredictable.
Germany’s national team amid a crisis: “Right now, the standard isn’t enough”
The mood in the Volkswagen Arena reflected the tension; supporters loudly demanded Flick’s dismissal, while the players publicly backed him. Gundogan acknowledged the sting, saying, “Right now we are not good enough. The team must question itself.”
Thomas Müller spoke for the squad when he laid bare the wider reality: Germany ranks among the world’s top contenders in theory, perhaps in the top 10 or 15, but not in practice at this moment. The challenge is clear, and the path to a stronger German side will unfold in the coming weeks.
This summary reflects the ongoing evaluation of leadership, strategy, and performance as the federation recalibrates ahead of a pivotal year for German football. The focus remains on restoring belief within the squad, stabilizing the coaching situation, and rebuilding momentum for future campaigns where the national team can compete at the highest level with renewed confidence.
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