According to report on negotiations
©IMAGO
This article first appeared at 8:45 a.m. and was later updated with Joachim Löw’s denial and Winfried Schäfer’s reaction.
Former national coach Joachim Löw has been without a coaching job for five years. A report from Ghana on Good Friday suggested that the 66-year-old could be on the verge of a comeback in the short term and lead Germany’s most recent friendly opponent, Ghana, into the upcoming World Cup. A few hours later, Löw denied speculation about a possible fourth finals participation on the Black Stars sidelines.
“No one has officially spoken to me about Ghana,” the 2014 World Cup coach told the pay-TV channel “Sky”. The football portal “Ghanasoccernet”, which is well established in Ghana, had previously reported that Löw and the Black Stars were currently in negotiations about a short-term job, which would only be available immediately until the summer tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada. “Several” own sources were relied upon. The association’s offer of a monthly salary of 150,000 euros was also thrown into the room.
Ghana fired its coach Otto Addo after the 1-2 friendly defeat against the DFB team last Tuesday. In the previous test, the team had already lost 1:5 against Austria. At the World Cup, the Black Stars will face England, Croatia and Panama in Group L, which is considered one of the strongest preliminary round constellations.
Ghana’s coaching search: What role does Winfried Schäfer play?
The Ghanaian association is under time pressure before the tournament. An important role in the search for an Addo successor is attributed to Technical Director Winfried Schäfer. The 75-year-old’s relationship with Löw is considered respectful; both have a past at Karlsruher SC and VfB Stuttgart, where Schäfer succeeded Löw as head coach in 1998. However, Schäfer also seemed surprised when asked by the dpa on Friday. He has no knowledge of an impending deal with his compatriot Löw. The possibility that Schäfer himself could return to the coaching bench for the World Cup has also been part of the public debate in recent days.
Schäfer won the Africa Cup with Cameroon in 2002 and coached “the untamable lions” at the World Cup tournament in South Korea in the same year. At that time, his team was eliminated in the preliminary round in a group with Germany (0:2), Saudi Arabia (1:0) and Ireland (1:1).
Expectations in Ghana are traditionally high. Addo has been head coach of the Black Stars for two years, winning eight, drawing five and losing nine in 22 games. Ghana also missed qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations in the winter. In 2022, the former Bundesliga professional had already looked after the team as an interim coach after previously being an assistant. Addo was also on the sidelines at the World Cup in Qatar when Ghana were eliminated in the group stage.
