Hansi Flick fired by Euro 2024 hosts Germany after Japan debacle

When Hansi Flick took over as the new manager of Germany after the delayed Euro 2020 finals, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

The national team were in need of some fresh eyes at the top after 15 years of Joachim Low's reign, which, since the last taste of glory in the 2017 Confederations Cup, had long gone stale.

In Low's place would be his former assistant Flick, who was part of the set-up when Germany won the 2014 World Cup and fresh from a stunning spell as manager of Bayern Munich.

Flick, who led Bayern to six trophies in 2019/20 before adding the following season's Bundesliga crown, decided to leave the champions after 18 months, leaving him clear to take up the reins of the national team.

But a little over two years on from his first game – a 2–0 win in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein – the 58-year-old was relieved of his duties on Sunday.

The final straw was a humiliating 4-1 home thrashing by Japan 24 hours earlier, their fourth defeat in five outings, and Flick becomes the first Germany manager to be sacked since the role was created in 1926.

The move comes with Germany fearing humiliation on home soil as they host the Euro 2024 finals next summer.

Flick's assistants Marcus Sorg and Danny Rohl have also been dismissed while a successor will be announced at a later date.

German FA sporting director Rudi Voller, who managed the team from 2000 to 2004, takes temporary charge of a team that faces World Cup runners-up France in Dortmund on Tuesday. He will be assisted by Hannes Wolf and Sandro Wagner.