DFB women: Inka Grings and Stefan Kuntz on the shortlist

The DFB is working feverishly to first fill the vacant coaching position for the women’s national team. The Swiss national coach Inka Grings and Stefan Kuntz are the top candidates.

It’s no secret that the situation surrounding the German women’s national team is extremely complicated. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is on sick leave for an indefinite period of time, her representative Britta Carlson does not see herself in the boss role.

In addition, the German Football Association (DFB) still has to fill the position of director of women’s football in the newly structured sports area. Important discussions have been scheduled this week by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and the new managing director Andreas Rettig – including with external experts, as the two’s expertise in women’s football is considered limited.

There are too few highly qualified trainers

The market for highly qualified female coaches is also limited, otherwise there wouldn’t only be one woman working in the women’s Bundesliga – Theresa Merk at SC Freiburg. That’s why the association has agreed internally to consider both women and men as candidates for the DFB women’s coaching position.

The top shelf would be Sarina Wiegman, who was decorated with the 2017 and 2022 European Championship titles, but is under contract with runner-up World Champion England. Regardless of the willingness of the successful Dutchwoman: For economic reasons, the implementation is considered unrealistic for the DFB, which is in financial difficulties.

The National players have demanded clarity

Therefore, according to information from the Sportschau, the association is now primarily concerned with two candidates with whom discussions are to be held: Inka Grings, who is still under contract with the Swiss Football Association (SFV), and Stefan Kuntz, who is in the Swiss Football Association after his dismissal Turkey would be available.

Dealing with Voss-Tecklenburg after she reported sick at the beginning of September requires a lot of tact, but the DFB leadership can no longer avoid making a decision: several national players had made it clear after the Nations League win against Iceland (4-0). “Clarity” required. Following problems in communication with a large part of her squad at the World Cup in Australia, the national coach’s continued employment in her previous position is now reportedly ruled out.

Like Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, Inka Grings used to work in Switzerland

Grings can point to a similar career to Voss-Tecklenburg, who carried out successful development work for the SFV from 2012 to 2018 before she was convinced by the now disempowered sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou to take up the job as national coach. Will this kind of poaching attempt be repeated now? Grings recently lost the Nations League games against Italy (0:1) and Spain (0:5), but the 44-year-old is already preparing to rejuvenate the squad with a view to the home European Championship in 2025 and is accepting setbacks there.

The 96-time international striker led the Swiss national team with a very pragmatic approach to the World Cup round of 16, where Switzerland then lost to the eventual world champions from Spain (1:5). The national coach had demanded extra physical work from her players in the run-up in order to withstand the increased physical demands and also placed emphasis on a functioning defense. Both would have been good for the DFB selection in Australia.

Grings is considered self-confident, extroverted and stress-resistant – and knows players like Alexandra Popp from her playing days. And she was also the former partner of the current national coach, who was kicked out of the DFB team after their separation before the 2000 Olympic Games. The irritations from before have long since been resolved between the two of them. Only before the World Cup, Voss-Tecklenburg said that she was extremely proud today that she was too “I treat Inka with respect and friendship, even though we have taken different paths in life.” Her former partner even coached the men’s regional league team SV Straelen in 2019/2020, where her husband Hermann Tecklenburg pulls the strings as the club boss.

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg could get the position as director

The building contractor now brought his sick wife into conversation as DFB director. “If she is not allowed to continue or continue in her current job, I think that is an excellent idea.”said the 75-year-old in the Picturebecause: “She can present things intelligently, has exceptional foresight and enormous skills. The DFB should continue to value that. Losing Martina would be a huge mistake.”

In fact, many on the DFB campus can imagine the 55-year-old in such a role to promote the promotion of women and girls in football, to improve the transition to the elite level or to fill topics such as talent equity and equal play with more content . The transfer to the more administrative area under Rettig’s care would be an elegant solution so that everyone involved could save face – and money would also be saved for a new person as director.

Size open-mindedness opposite Stefan Kuntz

But the coaching question seems more urgent. There is great openness among the players towards a figure like Kuntz, who led the German U21s to two European Championship victories with his inspiring style. The 60-year-old is said to have skills that were well received under interim coach Horst Hrubesch until Voss-Tecklenburg took office. A human catcher would be exactly the right thing after the many atmospheric disturbances, it is said internally.

On the sidelines of the top game Eintracht Frankfurt against VfL Wolfsburg (2:4), goalkeeper Almuth Schult also spoke positively about Kuntz on Sunday (October 1, 2023) on Hessischer Rundfunk. “I can confirm that he is an outstanding personality. Therefore, someone like that is not wrong in the position.”said the mother of three. The 32-year-old still sits on the team council and her word carries a lot of weight.

Tommy Stroot, Stefan Lerch and Thomas Wörle are all hardly available

If Kuntz is chosen, it is conceivable that former assistant Thomas Nörenberg will return, who knows most of the protagonists very well because he was part of the coaching team until the European Championships in England. Current Bundesliga coaches such as Tommy Stroot (VfL Wolfsburg) and Stephan Lerch (TSG Hoffenheim) have experience in the women’s field, but they are unlikely to let their employers down so early in the season.

The situation is similar with Thomas Wörle. The coach, who worked successfully with FC Bayern’s female footballers from 2010 to 2019, would fulfill the requirements profile as a national coach, but the former professional has deliberately returned to men’s football, where he has just led SSV Ulm 1846 into the 3rd league after a long effort has. His name has apparently already been discussed. Meanwhile, the DFB doesn’t want one “Timeline” still name “Water level reports” as press spokeswoman Sonja Alger said upon request.

Anja Mittag finds the situation difficult

The fact that the working papers with Voss-Tecklenburg and Carlson were extended until 2025 before the World Cup further narrows the scope. Carlson, who was recently given responsibility, has pointed out that her contract allows her to play again in the next Nations League fixtures against Wales (October 27) and Iceland (October 31), but the 45-year-old actually wants to then no longer lead the squad.

If all options fail, former national coach Silvia Neid could be approached, but she deliberately resigned in 2016 when she won the Olympics. The 59-year-old heads the trend scouting department for women’s and girls’ football at the DFB. The mere fact that her name is being discussed in the media should flatter Envy, whose long list of successes is likely to remain unmatched.

Overall, what applies to world champion Anja Mittag as a columnist in the specialist magazine Kicker recorded: “The situation is difficult. The uncertainty can be grueling. That’s why it might not be a bad thing if everyone at the DFB said: We’re making a fresh start.” Now there are at least the first names.