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Germany have sacked manager Hansi Flick following the team's dismal 4-1 defeat to Japan on Saturday.
The former Bayern Munich head coach had been in charge since 2021 after taking over from his former boss Joachim Löw, but a disappointing showing at the 2022 World Cup, in which Germany were knocked out in the group stage, left him clinging to his job.
The likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel were linked with the position, but the German FA ultimately decided to stick with Flick.
But after winning just one of his six matches since last year's tournament, including defeats to Poland, Colombia, Belgium and now Japan, the ace finally swung, particularly seeing as he'd won just four of his 17 games in charge in what has been one of the worst runs of form in the history of the German national team.
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Former Germany international Rudi Voller, who was appointed director of the German national team in February, will take interim charge while bosses search for a new permanent manager.
In a statement released on Sunday, national team seniors confirmed that Flick had been dismissed following a "shareholders meeting".
President of the German Football Association, Bernd Neuendorf added: "The committees agreed that the Men's Senior National Team needs new impetus after the recent disappointing results. We need a spirit of optimism and confidence in our own country.
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"For me personally, it is one of the most difficult decisions of my time in office so far. Because I appreciate Hansi Flick and his assistant coaches as football experts and people. But sporting success is the top priority for the DFB. So the decision was inevitable."
Speaking after the defeat to Japan, Flick defiantly told reporters he was still the right man for the job, saying: "We and the coaching staff are trying everything. I think we are doing well and I am the right coach."
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"We are really disappointed. Japan is a good team. We don't have the tools right now to beat a defence like that. We in German football have to wake up. Now we have to shake ourselves up and do better against France."
Flick spent eight years as Germany's assistant manager under Löw and was in the dugout for their World Cup triumph in 2014. He then joined Bayern as assistant manager under Robert Kovac 2019, and was promoted to head coach following Kovac's departure a few months later.
He was initially hired as interim boss, but was handed the reins permanently in April after taking Bayern to the verge of an iconic Treble, which they duly won – pipping second-place Dortmund to the Bundesliga title by 13 points, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal final and seeing off PSG in the Champions League final.
- FIFA
- Breaking News
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