Berlin, November 12 (BNA) World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew was impressed with standing ovations as he bid farewell on Thursday ahead of Germany’s World Cup qualifying match against Liechtenstein.
Loew, 61, received a framed certificate from interim German Football Association (DFB) president Peter Binders on the pitch in Augsburg, according to dpa.
Fans chanted his name and former players including Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker and Sami Khedira formed a guard of honor.
Loew served as Jürgen Klinsmann’s assistant from 2004-2006 and then became head coach for 15 years, winning the 2014 World Cup and the Confederations Cup in 2017.
He had a contract until 2022 but quit after being knocked out in the round of 16 at this year’s European Championship against England, the latest of several mediocre results in recent years.
Loew’s former assistant Hansi Flick is now in charge of the national team and led them to next year’s World Cup while Loew told broadcasters RTL he could imagine returning to training next year.
“It’s definitely possible,” said Love. “After such a long time I need half a year or maybe a whole year to gain some distance and orient myself. Gradually the desire and motivation come back.”
“The last tournament was a disappointment for all of us. So it took me a while. Now I feel fine and I’m looking forward to football.”
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