The German football federation and Joachim Loew have called a truce
and agreed to decide the national team coach's future after the
World Cup.
At a news conference Tuesday at the headquarters of the
federation (DFB), both sides conceded mistakes in handling the
talks that collapsed last week and created a major distraction as
the three-time champions begin to prepare for the June 11-July 11
World Cup in South Africa.
"We've found a common line until the World Cup," Loew said.
"We have an incredible responsibility, we represent not only the
DFB, we represent Germany with millions of fans. I am sure we will
have a good tournament."
Loew was joined at the conference by DFB president Theo
Zwanziger, general secretary Wolfgang Niersbach and national team
manager Oliver Bierhoff, a member of Loew's staff who was involved
in the failed talks and has been partly blamed for their collapse.
"We want success and success is only possible with this
coach. The team needs this coach," Zwanziger said.
While seeking to present a united front, major differences
appear to remain but Loew and officials said there would be no new
talks on a possible contract extension until after the World Cup
and they can now devote their energy on preparations for the event.
Zwanziger acknowledged that the differences were "serious"
but Loew said he is happy to wait until after the World Cup for
talks to resume.
"I can live with this situation very well," Loew said. "We'll
see after the World Cup."
The 50-year-old Loew was Juergen Klinsmann's assistant and
took over when he quit after Germany finished third at the 2006
World Cup at home. In its first big tournament under Loew, Germany
was runner-up at the 2008 European Championship.
Loew and Bierhoff met with the DFB officials Monday and
Tuesday in an attempt to calm the situation, which has been
dominating Germany's sports pages.
The DFB has not given precise reasons why the talks collapsed
but German media reports say Loew and Bierhoff had demanded
"signing fees" equivalent to an annual salary for Loew and his
entire staff. Bierhoff also reportedly wanted to have the decisive
vote in picking the next coach, but the DFB balked at the demand.
Neither side has denied that such demands were made, and over
the weekend Loew defended his and Bierhoff's position.
"It's our right to make one or two demands. People who know
us know that it's not about power or greed, but that it's about the
development of the team," Loew said in Warsaw before the qualifying
draw for Euro 2012.
Qualifying starts in September and the DFB will have to find
a new coach quickly after the World Cup if Loew decided to leave
when his contract expires after the World Cup.
On Tuesday, Bierhoff conceded making mistakes in the way he
conducted negotiations and apologized for "hurting people's
feelings."
Both sides also regretted that details of the talks had been
leaked to the media. Loew had earlier said he had been deeply
irritated by the leaks.
