Nia Künzer is the new strong woman at the DFB. One of her most important tasks at the start of her term: Finding a new national coach for the women’s national team. The Hessian already has the requirements profile in mind.
Nia Künzer will certainly not be defeated so quickly as the new sports director for women at the German Football Association. The 43-year-old made a self-confident appearance at her presentation on Thursday at the DFB campus in Frankfurt. When she didn’t get a chance to speak in the question and answer session between association boss Bernd Neuendorf and managing director Andreas Rettig, she immediately intervened: “It’s still my turn!” The 2003 world champion, now the female counterpart to Rudi Völler, has a whole host of tasks waiting for her.
Künzer receives a three-year contract with the largest sports association in the world. The Hessian state government will initially release her from work until then. The golden goal scorer in the 2003 World Cup final previously worked as head of the department for integration, social care and volunteer work in the Giessen regional council. Künzer was announced for the newly created position at the DFB in December and has had “many discussions” since she took office on January 1st.
“I want to keep that look too”
As an ARD expert, she had often looked critically at the DFB and the women’s national team in the past. “I want to keep that look,” she announced. Right at the beginning of the press conference, Künzer was confronted by DFB media director Steffen Simon with a statement about the DFB Women’s World Cup debacle in Australia. At that time, the 34-time national player and mother of two from Wetzlar said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that Neuendorf was not there at the tournament.
Neuendorf acknowledged this afterwards with a smile. In a conversation with Künzer afterwards, he noticed “that she is someone who actually corresponds to the profile we had in mind. Someone who is also a critical spirit who challenges us, who is not so streamlined. It corresponds not a contemporary leadership if you only gather yes-sayers around you.” He appreciates Künzer because of “her professionalism and her nature: she is an empathetic person.”
“I see the desire to change something”
After extremely difficult months with the disappointment at the World Cup and the impasse surrounding the ill national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, Künzer is now primarily required as team manager for the DFB selection. She wants to “be successful again in sport with the coach and with the team and win titles.” In any case, she is convinced: “I see the desire in the association to change something.”
Interim national coach Horst Hrubesch (72) will only stay until the Olympic Games – if the DFB women led by captain Alexandra Popp manage to qualify for Paris. The search for a successor will start even earlier if the national team fails in the Nations League: on February 23rd they will face France in the semi-finals in Lyon.
“A task by which I will be measured”
If they win, the vice-European champions would qualify for the Summer Games. In the event of a defeat, a win in the game for third place on February 28th against the loser from Spain – Netherlands would be necessary in order to get one of the two European tickets alongside France, which will automatically be there as hosts in Paris.
“We have to think in different scenarios. It’s our turn. I’m aware that it will be a task by which I will be measured,” said Künzer. There were a few names on the list, but she didn’t want to be more specific.