After almost two years, Stefan Kuntz has been fired as Turkey’s national football coach.
The association separated from the 1996 European champions on Sunday after consistent media reports in Turkey. This meant that the former U21 coach of the German Football Association (DFB) had to leave after a defeat against Japan, as did national coach Hansi Flick a week ago.
However, Kuntz was initially unavailable on Sunday. Last Tuesday the coach lost 2:4 against the Asians, the German national team previously lost 1:4. It was Kuntz’s fifth defeat in his 20th international match with Turkey.
But the 60-year-old has been criticized for a long time. He missed the World Cup ticket for Qatar in the play-offs last year, but in qualifying for the European Championships in his homeland he was on track as second in Group D behind third-placed Croatia.
Kuntz is considered a candidate to succeed Flick at the DFB. In contrast to the top candidate Julian Nagelsmann or the Dutchman Louis van Gaal, he would be a cheaper solution. Kuntz is a popular figure with internal knowledge of the association and is valued. He led the U21s to two European Championship titles and demonstrated an outstanding knack for talent, even if his 2021 Olympic mission failed in the preliminary round.