For the DFB and Hansi Flick, a separation as a reaction to the preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar was never an option. This was emphasized by DFB Vice Hans-Joachim Watzke one day after the crisis summit with the national coach and association president Bernd Neuendorf.
“It was not at all up for discussion that a separation from Hansi Flick was on the agenda, we didn’t think of that for a second,” said Watzke on Thursday in Neu-Isenburg. The trio had met there the day before and expressed their trust in each other.
“It was just a matter of analyzing internally what was good and what was bad,” said Watzke, emphasizing: “It wasn’t all bad when you evaluated all the data, but in the end it wasn’t good enough either.”
The conversation was “very constructive” and “always based on a lot of trust”, the atmosphere “really good. In the end we made it very clear that we were pulling together. That also gave me hope and strength.”
Bierhoff successor found by Christmas?
Choosing the squad and the tactics is and will remain Flick’s area “completely alone”. “But a few things aside, nothing significant, where we might have disagreed,” could be changed.
With regard to the successor for managing director Oliver Bierhoff, Watzke sees the DFB and Neuendorf am Zug. A solution before Christmas would be desirable, “but I don’t know if that’s realistic and has to be. We’re under no time pressure. Accuracy is more important than speed.”
For Watzke it would be “honestly the wrong approach” if Flick were allowed to express his ideas here first. The topic was “only touched on in passing” on Wednesday.