Klinsmann leaves Germany post
by GIANNI RUSSO (The Herald)
July 12 2006
Jurgen Klinsmann, the German football coach, has decided not to extend his contract, which expired at the end of the World Cup.
Klinsmann has told the co-president of the German soccer federation, Theo Zwanziger, that he will not be staying on, according to newspaper reports, while German sports news agency SID said the team manager Oliver Bierhoff had indirectly confirmed Klinsmann's decision.
Assistant coach Joachim Loew would now be offered the job, the agency said, without naming its source. Bierhoff said there would be a news conference in Frankfurt this morning, SID reported.
Klinsmann, who lives in California, has been urged from all sides to stay on after he led Germany to third place in the World Cup, but he had said he needed to consult with his family before making a decision.
All 23 German players, 93% of the public, according to opinion polls, and even some of his harshest critics have all said they wanted him to continue.
Germany have a friendly against Sweden on August 16 before their 2008 European Championships qualifying campaign starts in September and Zwanziger said a decision has to be made before the match with the Swedes.
Klinsmann has dismissed reports that he received a lucrative offer to coach the United States and has said he has no interest in coaching another national team such as England or Italy.
But while Klinsmann has called it a day, his French counterpart at the World Cup, Raymond Domenech, will stay on as coach after leading his side to the World Cup final.
Domenech, who took over from Jacques Santini after Euro 2004, was offered an extension to his two-year contract and has accepted it.
"Taking into account the excellent performance of France during the World Cup, the federal committee unanimously offered Raymond Domenech the chance to carry on his mission as national coach," a French Football Federation statement said.
The contract details of the extension will be discussed between Jean-Pierre Escalettes, the FFF chairman and Domenech before the next meeting of the board.
Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup-winning coach, will meet the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) later this week to discuss his future. Lippi, 58, whose contract ends later this month, refused to answer questions about his future during his team's campaign in Germany. On Monday he said he wanted to continue coaching, but did not reveal whether or not he intended to stay with the national team.
Poland, meanwhile, have appointed the itinerant Leo Beenhakker as the replacement for Pawel Janas, who quit after the Poles' disappointing World Cup campaign. The Dutchman, who has looked after the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam, led Trinidad & Tobago to the finals for the first time in Germany.
Karel Poborsky, the Czech midfielder, announced his international retirement yesterday but said he would play one more year with first division team Ceske Budejovice, the club he co-owns.
