Rudi Föller extends contract as sporting director of German national football team until 2026 World Cup

2024-04-08 13:02:40

Munich (AFP)

Former international scorer Rudi Föller, winner of the 1990 World Cup, has extended his contract as sporting director of the German national football team until the end of the 2026 World Cup, according to what the local federation announced.
After assuming the position of coach of the national team between 2002 and 2004, in an experience during which he led it to the final of the 2002 World Cup, Fuller took over the position of sporting director in February 2023, succeeding Oliver Bierhoff, who resigned from the position after the disappointment of the “2022 World Cup”, in which the Germans were eliminated in the group stage.
The 63-year-old also took over the job temporarily for a few days at the end of the summer of 2023, between the departure of Hansi Flick and the appointment of Julian Nagelsmann as his successor.
The German Football Association statement quoted Fuller as saying: “During the 14 months that have passed since my appointment, I have realized that my responsibilities in the German Football Association have become more important to me day after day. What was initially a feeling of commitment to Germany, the federation and the national team has now become for me a long-standing personal desire.
For Andreas Rettig, a member of the German Federation’s management, extending Fuller’s contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup scheduled for the United States, Mexico and Canada is a “positive signal” towards coach Nagelsmann, whom “we also want to work with in the long term.”
Nagelsmann, who was Fuller’s best candidate to take over the job as a successor to Flick, has a contract with Al-Ittihad until the end of the 2024 European Cup, which Germany will host at home between June 14 and July 14.
The Federation announced, through its president Bernd Neuendorf, that negotiations regarding the extension will begin after the international window at the end of March, as Germany beat France 2-0 and the Netherlands 2-1 as part of its preparations for the finals.
Local media nominated Nagelsmann to re-coach Bayern Munich next summer, after a first period between 2021 and 2023, following the European Cup finals, to succeed Thomas Tuchel, who will leave the Bavarian team next summer.