The German FA (DFB) on Tuesday stopped short of backing coach Julian Nagelsmann after Germany’s shock World Cup elimination, saying there would be no business as usual after the “crushing” last-32 defeat.
Germany were eliminated on penalties by minnows Paraguay on Monday, continuing a decade of poor performances at major tournaments.
Four-time World Cup winners Germany suffered early eliminations at the past three World Cups and have failed to make it past the quarter-finals at the last two Euros.
Monday’s defeat was Germany’s first knockout match at a World Cup since they beat Argentina in the final in 2014.
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf announced that an investigation into Germany’s World Cup failings would be conducted, with Nagelsmann’s future as well as other structural changes to sport presumably on the table.
On Tuesday, Germany reportedly cancelled a planned press conference and instead issued a statement which apologised to fans for the “bitter defeat”.
Neuendorf confirmed he already met with Nagelsmann and sporting director Rudi Voeller to discuss the elimination.
“We are in agreement that our performance at the World Cup fell short of our standards,” Neuendorf said in the statement.
“In the coming days, we will calmly and collectively discuss why the team was unable to realise its potential and failed to meet both its own expectations and those of the German football community.
“After such a crushing blow, we cannot and will not simply return to business as usual as we look toward the tasks ahead.”
Appointed in 2023 after his predecessor Hansi Flick became the first Germany coach in history to be sacked, Nagelsmann has a contract until 2028 but has come under fire since the defeat.
Lothar Matthaeus, a 1990 World Cup winner with West Germany, said the DFB should not continue with Nagelsmann and criticised the coach for a lack of imagination.
Mats Hummels, who won the World Cup in 2014, said there must be “consequences for the people in charge” as a result of the early exit, adding Germany’s disappointing results “were not a coincidence”.
After the match, Voeller called Nagelsmann “a top coach” and “a fighter”, but would only give the 38-year-old a qualified endorsement.
“I’m still convinced he’s probably the right man to continue,” he said. “But I’m not the DFB on my own. It’s not my decision alone.”
Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, who is often mentioned as a potential successor to Nagelsmann, said Monday it was not the right moment to discuss him taking over the job.
“I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ve often been in that situation myself as a coach, where a big dream has been shattered,” Klopp said during his work as a pundit on German TV.
“I understand that when people talk about the national coach, my name is mentioned. But it’s not the right moment to talk about it, especially not with me.”
