Hansi Flick has been dismissed from his position as coach of Germany men’s national team.
It comes following Germany losing 4-1 to Japan in an international friendly at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.
Supporters jeered the hosts at the full-time whistle, and Flick’s fate was sealed just one day later.
A statement from German FA (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf read: “The committees agreed that the senior men’s national team needs a new impulse after the recent disappointing results. We need a spirit of optimism and confidence with a view to the European Championship in our own country.
“For me personally, it is one of the most difficult decisions in my tenure so far because I value Hansi Flick and his co-coaches as football experts and people. However, sporting success has top priority for the DFB. Therefore, the decision was inevitable.”
Germany were heavily defeated in Wolfsburg on Saturday (Photo: Getty Images)
Flick’s assistants, coaches Marcus Sorg and Danny Rohl, have also been relieved of their duties with immediate affect.
Rudi Voller, Hannes Wolf and Sandro Wagner will take charge of Germany’s match against France in Dortmund on Tuesday. They are aiming to find a replacement for Flick as soon as possible.
Flick underwent training with the national team on Sunday morning.
He was appointed Germany manager in August 2021 after replacing Joachim Low following the 2021 European Championships, where they were knocked out by England. He had previously enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Bayern Munich, where he won the treble in 2019-20.
The 58-year-old’s position, however, came under scrutiny following a desperate run that stretches back to before the World Cup last year.
Germany have won just four of their last 16 matches, a run which included a group stage exit in Qatar, the second consecutive World Cup in which they had been eliminated at that period. They have also conceded 11 goals in their last five matches to leave them in crisis less than a year before they host the European Championships.
What comes next for Germany?
Analysis by _ _Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
The first objective is to get through the game against France without suffering any more damage to the collective ego; Germany are fragile and were completely humiliated by Japan in Wolfsburg. They have the players to attain respectability and Rudi Voller remains popular with the public, so – short term – that should be achievable.
Beyond that, Germany need to settle on a new direction. One of the great flaws of Hansi Flick’s time was their inability to adopt any sort of identity. Nearly every game featured an experiment of sorts and nearly all of those failed to produce any sort of dividend. Playing Nico Schlotterbeck as a left-sided full-back was the latest and last on Saturday night.
Maybe what Germany need more than anything else is conviction. They must settle on a way of playing and find a reliable means of creating chances and preventing goals being scored against them. Flick never knew how to cure either of those issues and, eventually, that seems to have had impacted the players and corroded their self-belief.
A good change now – a start at least – would be the appointment of someone who stands for something. Nobody can immediately solve some of the technical shortcomings within this generation – no No 9, the dearth of outstanding centre-backs or full-backs – but meaningful philosophical change would help restore an identity and recapture the hearts of a country disillusioned with its football team.
GO DEEPER
Pressure mounts as Germany beaten by Japan; Flick: ‘I’m right man’
(Photo: Federico Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images)
