FIFA World Cup: Germany to continue with Flick despite group stage exit at Qatar 2022

Berlin (Germany), Dec. 8 (IANS): Hansi Flick will remain the German national football coach despite the 2014 World Champion’s disappointing group stage exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The news came after a two-hour-long crisis meeting on Wednesday evening in a Frankfurt hotel near the association headquarters.

The 57-year-old was expected to report the reasons for the setback and draw a picture of how to return to success for Euro 2024 to be hosted by Germany.

The country’s third-place finish in Group E marked the second consecutive World Cup at which Germany failed to progress to the knockout stage following the 2018 tournament in Russia.

Flick, however, could have turned down the offer as the German football governing body’s technical director and his supporter Oliver Bierhoff resigned earlier this week and who to follow the 54-year-old was yet to be decided, reports Xinhua.

Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German association, said he has full trust “in Hansi Flick to master the challenge together with his team”, while Flick spoke of his optimism to improve in 2024.

“We missed a great opportunity in Qatar. We have learned our lesson from that,” Flick said.