Germany part ways with coach Hansi Flick after dismal form
Flick took over in 2021 but his team have managed just four wins in their last 17 internationals, and they were also eliminated in the first round of the 2022 World Cup.
"The bodies (of the DFB) shared the same view that the national team now needs a new impulse," DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement. "With next year's Euro in sight, we need enthusiastic mood and confidence."
Germany do not need to qualify for the Euros but have shown no sign of improvement following last year's shock World Cup exit, and with German fans quickly running out of patience with their poor form, the DFB thought it was time to act.
Germany are three-time European champions.
The DFB's sports director Rudi Voller will be in charge of their friendly against 2022 World Cup finalists France on Tuesday with a successor for Flick to be named soon.
"The most urgent thing is then to bring in a national team coach who at short notice can redirect and prepare our team for the big Euro tournament next year," said Voller, who was national team coach from 2000-2004.
"We expect from them, as does the whole country, positive impulses. A coach who can lift our level to where we know and expect it to be."
"Now, us in charge, have to act in order to be able to play next year at the Euro the demanding and ambitious role of hosts that we are hoping to play. That is what German fans rightly expect from us," said Voller.
Three years before Flick's arrival, they had suffered their quickest World Cup exit in over 80 years when they were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 tournament in Russia.
With two consecutive early tournament exits - unthinkable for success-spoilt German fans - the football association (DFB) had to bring in someone who could guarantee success, especially with a home tournament looming.
The timing of Flick's arrival could not have been any better with the coach fresh from a six-trophy record run in 2020 with Bayern Munich that included the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
He was also seen as someone who knew the inner workings of the national team better than most, having worked as a long-time assistant coach under his predecessor Loew who was crowned with the 2014 World Cup crown in Brazil.
"My joy is great because I see the quality of the players, especially the young ones, in Germany," Flick had said at the time of his appointment.
"So we have every reason to approach the next tournaments, for example our home Euro 2024 with optimism."
But in his two years at the helm, Flick failed to improve the team and any optimism German fans had about playing a successful Euro next year quickly evaporated.
Despite an eight-game winning start, his defensive plans never seemed to work even with experienced defenders such as Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Suele and Joshua Kimmich.
Germany could not stop the leaking at the back and managed just two clean sheets - against Oman and Peru - in their last 17 matches. Their four goals conceded at home in their 4-1 loss to Japan on Saturday proved to be the last straw.
The absence of an out-and-out striker for much of those two years was also painfully obvious with forward Niclas Fuellkrug only brought in just before the World Cup.
In the end it was the DFB who opted for change now, hoping there is still time to build a battle-worthy team that can excite soccer-mad Germany and also have a chance of winning next year's tournament.
