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At the DFB they wanted to give Joachim Löw "emotional distance", according to a message written especially for the awkward situation.
So give time to sort your thoughts and to find explanations for the disaster in Seville, the 0: 6 against Spain, so that the national coach can point a way to a better future.
The time had come on Monday, 13 days after the debacle of the German national soccer team.
In the morning, national coach Joachim Löw appeared at the headquarters of the German Football Association (DFB) in Frankfurt.
In the presence of Oliver Bierhoff, the director of the national teams, he first spoke to the presidential committee before the association, after a conference call by the entire presidium shortly before 4 p.m., created facts and announced, “the path of renewing the national team with national coach Joachim, which has been taking place since March 2019 Löw to continue unreservedly ”.
Löw's assistants Marcus Sorg and Andreas Köpke were also there.
It goes on: Joachim Löw remains in office as national coach and should lead the national team to a successful EM in 2021
Source: AFP
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Joachim Löw, who has been in office since 2006 and whose contract runs until 2022, continues to enjoy the trust.
Löw speaks to the DFB presidium
The news was hardly surprising, but it wasn't really expected until the end of this week.
So far it has been said that a meeting of the presidential committee with Löw on Tuesday would be followed by a meeting of the entire presidium on Friday to discuss the future of the national coach and the development of the elite selection.
It seems that the DFB wanted to end the public debate about Löw, which has been going on for days, more quickly and provide clarity.
The 60-year-old has often proven in the past that he is eloquent.
On Monday, the surprising day of the decision, with his remarks and his analyzes, he obviously hit the nerve of the gentlemen present who sat with him in Frankfurt - DFB President Fritz Keller, Treasurer Stephan Osnabrügge and Vice-Presidents Rainer Koch and Peter Peters .
General Secretary Friedrich Curtius was absent due to illness.
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Löw, so it said in the association's announcement, had informed those involved about his assessments, ideas and further plans.
In the end, the Executive Committee agreed that, literally, “the high-quality work of the coaching staff, the intact relationship between the team and the coach and a clear concept for the previous and future procedures count.
A single game cannot and must not be a yardstick for the general performance of the national team and the national coach ”.
Discussion about successors
The day after the defeat in Seville, Löw, Bierhoff and Keller had retired to a lounge at Munich Airport for almost 30 minutes.
At least from this point in time, Löw already seemed certain of the support.
Bierhoff, for example, had said immediately after the game in Seville: "The trust is there, this game doesn't change that either."
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In the days that followed, however, the criticism increased more and more.
The national coach's work and actions were questioned, not least the team’s career over the past two years.
There was talk of a lack of further development since the historic preliminary round at the 2018 World Cup, as well as a failed change.
A possible return of Mats Hummels (left) and Thomas Müller has become a constant topic at the DFB
Source: dpa / Federico Gambarini
In addition, the question was again asked whether the national coach should not consider reversing the removal of the world champions Hummels, Müller and Boateng.
Many experts spoke up, names of possible successors were discussed publicly, such as that of Ralf Rangnick or Stefan Kuntz.
And what did Löw do?
He and Fritz Keller drove back to Freiburg in the car from Munich two weeks ago on Wednesday.
His apartment, which is outside the city, became a kind of digital control center.
He was in contact with his trainers and supervisors on a daily basis either by telephone or via video conference.
Löw enjoys support
Above all, he spoke to Bierhoff, who also works as a team manager, but also to his assistants, Sorg and Köpke.
He also had talks with Urs Siegenthaler, who has been a scout for Löw for years, and Hans-Dieter Hermann, the team psychologist.
The exchange was lively, and often specially compiled data from previous games of the German team and some competitors served as the basis for one or the other conversation.
Löw, it is said, should also have exchanged ideas with those responsible from the Bundesliga.
And felt support.
Löw and his coaching team at the shame of Seville
Source: Getty Images / Fran Santiago
Since Monday he has been enjoying it again with the association.
In the almost 40-line message, it was reminded once again that important sporting goals had already been achieved on the way to the 2021 European Championship, such as qualifying for the European Championship, remaining in League A of the Nations League and positioning in the first lottery pot at the World Cup qualification.
No personal statements
Accordingly, the world's largest sports association announced that Joachim Löw would continue to have the trust of the DFB Presidium - in which, at the end of the astonishingly euphoric communiqué, there would also be the firm conviction that “Joachim Löw and his The coaching team will deliver successful games and results despite a challenging situation for everyone ”.
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In addition, the national coach will "take all necessary measures to play an exciting European Championship in 2021 with the team".
In the interview, which lasted several hours, he also let it be known that the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 European Championship must already play a role in the sporting and personal considerations.
Almost two weeks after the “pitch-black evening” in Seville, as Löw had called it, the negative atmosphere has given way to a kind of optimistic mood - but only internally. Selling it externally is much more difficult.
Personal statements apart from the 42 written lines could have helped on Monday.
But there wasn't.
Everyone involved quickly made their way home.