AWhen Hansi Flick left the scene of the crisis meeting without a word in the late afternoon, almost anything seemed possible, a withdrawal from the national coach, an adjournment of the decision – but the least likely option is that everything should continue as before. But the head of the German Football Association, in the person of Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke, President and First Vice President, has now agreed on this with Flick.
At least the first half of the fact that it was a “friendly and constructive conversation”, as it was called in the press release sent out later, can be questioned.
After the upheavals of the past few days since the World Cup in Qatar, including the sudden withdrawal of Oliver Bierhoff and Flick’s loudly expressed regret about it, a cleansing thunderstorm should have been needed – at best.
But even if that was the case: The conditions for a second start in the Flick era, which in the meantime threatened to become the shortest in the history of the national team, are anything but good. The national coach was not only damaged by the bad tournament, everything that has happened since then has not helped to inspire confidence in a successful future.
This includes, by the way, the fact that in this difficult situation, there was no support from the group of players for Flick, who values team spirit so much. It speaks for him that, in addition to an analysis that showed a sporting perspective, he clearly conveyed the determination to tackle the path to the home European Championship in a year and a half.
However, he has to do this in a much more turbulent environment than he was used to – and would like for his work. It will now be exciting and trend-setting how the association will fill Bierhoff’s position again, with a shop steward Flicks, as he may have demanded, or with a personality that goes against the grain, as would be good for German football.
In any case, the DFB is taking a big risk that is only justifiable if it is based on real convictions and not on political calculations. At least it’s possible that the new President Neuendorf didn’t want to be responsible for the first dismissal of the coach in his still short term of office, maybe even the strong man Watzke didn’t want to see heads roll everywhere, at DFB and DFL.
In any case, the DFB has had bad experiences in the recent past with decisions made out of consideration and loyalty. If the association had decided in May last year to immediately replace Joachim Löw with Flick, the story might have started quite differently: with a European Championship freed from the burden of the past, which in the best-case scenario would have been a kick-start for Flick be able. But the new story also feels as if you had just experienced it.
