Defends against criticism: national coach Hansi Flick Image: picture alliance/dpa/Revierfoto
The national coach shouldn’t put up with everything because he can’t put up with everything in his office. But he is now leading a debate that he actually cannot win.
On the first day of the International Coaches Congress, around 1,000 football coaches sat in the Bremen Congress Center and were able to see and hear the man who holds the most important position in his field in Germany: national coach Hansi Flick. You should understand how he has processed the World Cup 2022, how he is preparing for the European Championship 2024 – the sporting event that is so important for the German Football Association (DFB). And then in the middle of it all, they had to realize that Flick spoke to a man who wasn’t there for 51 seconds that Monday morning.
“I think it’s very cheeky, to be honest, to claim that the national team doesn’t invite players based on performance,” said Flick – and later added: “We really look at a lot of players. But what is even more important: the exchange with the trainers works very well. The coaches are my contacts – not just any sporting director or whatever.”
