Hansi Flick staying as Germany coach despite World Cup flop

BERLIN: The German soccer federation maintained its trust in Hansi Flick as national team coach on Wednesday despite the disappointing World Cup performance. Federation president Bernd Neuendorf said the body has “full confidence” in Flick to lead the team through the 2024 European Championship, which Germany is scheduled to host and which Neuendorf described as a “great opportunity” for the future of soccer in the country. Flick was under pressure going into Wednesday’s meeting with Neuendorf and federation vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke following Germany’s early World Cup exit, their third straight disappointing performance at a major tournament.

Flick left the meeting without a word, but was quoted in a statement from the federation. “We as a team can achieve much more than we showed in Qatar,” Flick said in the statement. “We missed a big opportunity there.

We’ll learn our lessons from it.” Flick said he was optimistic about Euro 2024 and that he has confidence in the path Neuendorf and Watzke agreed to. “We want all of Germany to rally behind the national team again at the 2024 European Championship at home,” said Flick, who faced criticism for his team selection and tactics against group rivals Japan, Spain and Costa Rica in Qatar. Mistakes in defense, where Flick was unable to settle on his preferred back four, and an inability to put away chances cost Germany a place in the knockout round.

Germany’s record under Flick was also poor before the tournament. The former Bayern Munich coach took over from Joachim Löw last year after Germany’s second-round exit from the European Championship and has a contract through Euro 2024. The federation still needs a replacement for Oliver Bierhoff, who ended an 18-year