Germany's Sporting Director Backs Nagelsmann Despite World Cup Disappointment

Rudi Völler, Sporting Director of the German Football Association (DFB), has reiterated his belief that Julian Nagelsmann remains the right head coach for the national team, despite their Round of 16 exit at the World Cup.

“I am still convinced that he is probably the right person to continue,” Völler stated, as quoted by "Kicker," though he left a slight opening: “But I am not the DFB; I don't decide this alone.”

Four-time world champions Germany delivered a disappointing performance at their third consecutive World Cup. While they showed a slight improvement from the previous two tournaments, where they failed to advance past the group stage, their early elimination has raised questions about Nagelsmann's future. He is currently under contract for another two years, until the end of Euro 2028.

“Of course, this is generally too little; for a footballing nation like Germany, it's hard to bear. We expected more, we could have achieved more, we must say that very clearly. Now we've also lost twice in a row, that's a fact,” Völler commented, also referencing the defeat to Ecuador in the final Group E match, which occurred after the Mannschaft had already secured first place.

“He (Nagelsmann) is still a top coach. It's always easy to say such a thing when you're constantly winning. But he is a fighter. He will pick himself up after such a bitter loss and will want to attack again. I know many people won't understand this when we've been eliminated in this way,” the DFB sporting director added.

According to Völler, the fact remains that the Mannschaft was eliminated by an opponent they “should ordinarily have been able to beat.” He refused to use the controversial decision by the referee to disallow Jonathan Tah's goal at the end of the first period of extra time as an excuse, nor did he criticize the players.

“The team gave their all. Yes, they didn't convert penalties as we've been accustomed to in Germany for decades, but the lads fought until the very end,” Völler said.