After leaving the group stage at the World Cup in Qatar, the DFB took action. Oliver Bierhoff, managing director of the national teams, has had his contract terminated.
Oliver Bierhoff is leaving the German Football Association (DFB) after 18 years as a consequence of the World Cup debacle. The DFB announced the termination of the contract on Monday evening (December 5, 2022). Bierhoff was most recently “Managing Director National Teams and Academy” at the association. The DFB committees are to discuss the succession plan. Bierhoff’s contract ran until 2024.
Bierhoff: “Make the way clear”
“After 18 years in responsible positions at the German Football Association (DFB), I have resigned from my position as Managing Director of the national teams and academy with immediate effect. I agreed on this today with President Bernd Neuendorf. I am paving the way for new decisions.” , it said in a statement from Bierhoff.
“Take responsibility for wrong decisions”
“My work was always driven by the conviction that I should do my best for the DFB and the national teams. That’s why the performance of the men’s national team at the World Cups in Russia and Qatar hurts me all the more,” he continued. “That’s why I’m not leaving without the necessary self-criticism. In the past four years we haven’t managed to build on previous successes and give the fans reason to celebrate again. Some decisions that we were convinced of didn’t turn out to be the proved correct. No one regrets that more than I do. I take responsibility for that.”