The decision seems to have been made: Sami Khedira and Hannes Wolf are to be promoted to the sporting management level at the DFB and take over the duties of ex-director Oliver Bierhoff.
The successor to Oliver Bierhoff at the German Football Association (DFB) seems settled. Former world champion Sami Khedira and coach Hannes Wolf are to form a kind of dual leadership in the future. A corresponding report by the “Sportbuzzer” portal on Friday coincides with dpa information. Even when asked by the sports show, the DFB did not deny the report. Accordingly, the duo has long been considered a desired solution internally.
The finding process is “on the home straight,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf at an event in the “Bild” newspaper on Friday, “but there is nothing to announce today and here. The talks are still ongoing.” Sports director Rudi Völler made a similar statement: “There will be a decision on that shortly, but I can’t say anything about names at all.”
Khedira for strategy, Wolf for youth
Above all, Khedira should take care of the strategic orientation of the association and after the departure of Völler, who limits his commitment as director of the senior national team until the home European Championship in 2024, become the face of the sporting management to the outside world. The 36-year-old would first have to give up his position as an adviser to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.
The previous U20 national coach Wolf (42) should primarily take care of the youngsters and talent training at the DFB. According to “Sportbuzzer”, DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke personally campaigned for the promotion of the former Borussia Dortmund youth coach.
After the World Cup debacle in Qatar at the end of 2022, the DFB parted ways with Bierhoff as managing director of the national teams and academy and announced back then that it wanted to spread his responsibilities over several shoulders.