Official: Germany sack DFB Director Oliver Bierhoff after World Cup failure (Updated)

Breaking news out of Germany — DFB team director Oliver Bierhoff has had his contract terminated. After a second consecutive World Cup failure that saw the Germans bounced out in the group stage, Bierhoff has now been held responsible. He will not see out the remainder of his contract, which was set to run until 2024.

Bierhoff has been the face of German football’s deterioration for some time now. While he managed to survive the abject performance of the national team in World Cup 2018, this year’s disaster finally caused the DFB leadership to oust him from his position. A search for a successor will now go underway. Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke is apparently a candidate. Former Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge should also be considered, if he’s interested.

Hansi Flick, the man many hold responsible for the problems seen at the World Cup, will keep his job for now. Most reports indicate that Flick will be allowed to continue until Euro 2024 at least, so he can mold the team the way he wants. Whether that decision will work out remains to be seen — faith in Bayern’s former sextuple winning coach has been thoroughly shaken by this year’s debacle.

There’s not much more to add, but if you’re interested in the blame game, check out our latest podcast episode. We discuss who should be held responsible for Germany’s World Cup elimination, and what effect it could have on Bayern Munich. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

Update

According to Raphael Honigstein, Bierhoff resigned. So he had a change of heart after initially saying he wouldn’t resign when Germany got knocked out on the last day of the Group Stage.