German football league chief executive exits as coach survives

Germany’s coach is staying, the head of its league is not.

The German football federation maintained its trust in Hansi Flick as national team coach yesterday despite the disappointing World Cup performance.

Separately, German football league chief executive Donata Hopfen will leave at the end of the month after reaching a mutual agreement to cut short her three-year contract because of what the league said was “differing ideas about the further strategic direction of the company”.

Hopfen’s departure — unrelated to the World Cup — after less than a year in charge had been expected amid simmering issues of discontent among Bundesliga clubs and teams from the second division. Flick’s future was more uncertain after Germany’s early World Cup exit, their third straight disappointing performance at a major tournament.

The former Bayern Munich coach was under pressure going into yesterday’s meeting with federation president Bernd Neuendorf and vice president Hans-joachim Watzke. Neuendorf said afterward the body has “full confidence” in Flick to lead the team through the 2024 European Championship, which Germany is scheduled to host.

In a statement from the federation, Flick said: “We as a team can achieve much more than we showed in Qatar. We missed a big opportunity there. We’ll learn our lessons from it”.

Flick said he was optimistic about Euro 2024 and that he has confidence in the path Neuendorf and Watzke agreed to. Mistakes in defence, where Flick was unable to settle on his preferred back four, and an inability to put away chances cost Germany a place in the knockout round.

Flick took over from Joachim Lo¨ w last year after Germany’s secondround exit from the European Championship and has a contract through Euro 2024.

The federation still needs a replacement for Oliver Bierhoff, who ended an 18-year stint this week when he agreed to resign as managing director of Germany’s national teams and academy. Bierhoff might not have a direct replacement.

“We have agreed to discuss the future structure of this area of responsibility first within the federation in order to make a decision then on personnel,” Neuendorf said.

Bierhoff is the only casualty so far from Germany’s group-stage exit from the World Cup in Qatar, the team’s second straight embarrassing failure in the biggest tournament.

Hertha Berlin general manager Fredi Bobic was a reported candidate to take over from Bierhoff, though he said Wednesday he was “very comfortable at Hertha”.

Bobic, who has a contract through 2024 with the Berlin club, did not rule himself out, however.

Flick appeared to criticise the federation for Bierhoff’s exit on Wednesday, when he said both he and his coaching staff “are having a hard time imagining how the gap left by Oliver’s departure can be closed”.

Hopfen took over from Christian Seifert in January as the first female chief executive of Germany’s top two divisions but struggled to impose her vision or resolve long-standing questions on issues such as the league’s 50+1 rule limiting the role of outside investors, marketing at home and abroad, and the sale of media rights.

Hopfen said in a social media post on Linkedin that she did not receive the support she needed from the league.

“I came into this job, like many before me, from the outside, as a nonplayer, as a woman with a clear plan on how the league can be led into the future: digitally, internationally and with strong partners and associates,” Hopfen said.

“Such a transition is a feat of strength and requires courage.

‘‘For all that you need staying power and the support and joint action of all stakeholders.

‘‘I didn’t feel that any more in the end,” Hopfen said.