|
|
|
| July 13, 2006 | Thursday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 16, 1427 |
Loew new German coach as Klinsmann quits
FRANKFURT, July 12: Juergen Klinsmann, who led Germany to a surprise third-place finish in the World Cup and won over the hearts of the nation, said on Wednesday he was stepping down and assistant Joachim Loew would take his place.
“I want to thank everyone, especially the fans, who pushed us along to this fantastic success,” the 41-year-old Klinsmann told a news conference as he fought back tears.
“It was the most beautiful World Cup ever. We've created a new image of the Germans around the world.”
Klinsmann came under fierce criticism prior to the World Cup, notably for his decisions to commute from his adopted home in California and bring in an American fitness trainer whose modern methods were ridiculed by German soccer traditionalists.
But he silenced the doubters by steering Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual world champions Italy 2-0 after extra time.
Klinsmann, who had no coaching experience when he took the job in August 2004, said he was leaving because he wanted to spend time with his family in California.
He described himself as “burned out” and said he would take a six-month break before thinking about his next move, denying rumours he might be interested in coaching the US team.
“There is neither interest nor contact,” he said.
He leaves with a record of 21 wins, seven draws and six defeats in his two years in charge. As a player, he won 108 caps and scored 47 goals, helping West Germany win the World Cup in 1990 and Germany the European Championship in 1996.
Loew, a former midfielder and Bundesliga coach who worked closely with Klinsmann over the past two years and comes from the same region in Germany's southwest, has agreed on a two-year contract to run the team.
The 46-year-old pledged to continue with the philosophy that he and Klinsmann put in place.
“That's the only way we can achieve a lasting place among the very best in the world,” Loew said.
Loew, who favours dapper suits typically worn without a tie, has said he gains the most fulfilment from seeing a young player developing into one capable of competing with the very best.
Those skills will serve him well with a team that relies heavily on young players like striker Lukas Podolski, who was voted top young player of the World Cup, and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who scored twice in the third-place match against Portugal on Saturday.
Loew will lead Germany into a friendly against Sweden on Aug 16 before their 2008 European Championship qualifying campaign starts in September.
All 23 players in Germany's squad, 93 percent of the public, according to opinion polls, and even some of Klinsmann's harshest critics had said they wanted him to continue.
The success of the German team during the World Cup whipped the entire nation into a patriotic feel-good frenzy and the man fans fondly called ‘Klinsi’ was the chief symbol of Germany's new mood.
“I hope that no one's heart will be broken by this,” Klinsmann said. “Now let's look to the future. We'll have a lot of fun watching this team.”—Reuters
|
|
|
|
