The head coach of the German national football team, Julian Nagelsmann, has decided to resign with immediate effect, the authoritative German publication reports „Build“ (BILD). The decision ends his tenure at the helm of the Bundesstima (Bavarian Football Works) and comes just days after the team's shocking elimination from the 1/16 finals of the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada by Paraguay after a penalty shootout (Reuters).
„Secret Summit“ in Frankfurt
According to media reports, Nagelsmann's fate was decided during a tense three-hour emergency meeting at the German Football Association (DFB) headquarters in Frankfurt (Reuters), held on Thursday (Yahoo Sports). It was attended by the president of the union, Bernd Neuendorf, the sporting director, Rudi Vöhler, and other leading figures in German football (Yahoo Sports).
The federation leaders clearly told the coach that his credit of trust was exhausted (Yahoo Sports). To avoid a public and traumatic dismissal, Nagelsmann was offered the option of an "elegant exit" through voluntary resignation (Yahoo Sports). Although the specialist initially announced that he had no intention of avoiding responsibility and his contract runs until 2028. (Yahoo Sports), pressure from management has forced him to back down (Yahoo Sports). He is expected to receive a fine of around 7 million euros, equivalent to his one-year salary (Reuters) (Yahoo Sports).
The communication breakdown and criticism
The “Bild“ newspaper revealed that the atmosphere in the Germany camp had deteriorated significantly during the tournament in North America. Nagelsmann has been criticized internally for:
Lack of communication: Players have complained that the coach has barely spoken to them outside of official tactical discussions (Bild). Too much family-friendly: The choice of an isolated training base in Winston-Salem has been described by the players as “terribly boring“ (Bild), and the constant presence of Nagelsmann's wife, Lena, at the camp has irritated some of the squad (Bild). Controversial decisions: There was also serious public criticism from legends such as Lothar Matthaus about the sports and technical decisions and the lack of character in the team (Yahoo Sports).
Who's next?
The German federation is already working on finding a replacement. The absolute favorite for the hot seat is Jürgen Klopp (Yahoo Sports). The former Liverpool manager is currently in a management position at “Red Bull“ (Yahoo Sports), but is seen as the only name capable of reigniting the enthusiasm of disillusioned German fans (Yahoo Sports).
Source: BILD