Juergen Klinsmann, who led Germany to a surprise third-place finish in the World Cup and won over the hearts of the nation, said yesterday he was stepping down from the post. His former assistant Joachim Loew has been appointed to take take his place.
"I want to thank everyone, especially the fans, who pushed us along to this fantastic success," the 41-year-old Klinsmann told a news conference in Frankfurt as he fought back tears.
"It was the most beautiful World Cup ever. We've created a new image of the Germans around the world."
Klinsmann came under fierce criticism prior to the World Cup, notably for his decisions to commute from his adopted home in California and bring in an American fitness trainer whose modern methods were ridiculed by German soccer traditionalists.
But he silenced the doubters by steering Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual world champions, Italy, 2-0 after extra time.
Klinsmann, who had no coaching experience when he took the job in August 2004, said he was leaving because he wanted to spend time with his family in California.
He described himself as "burned out" and said he would take a six-month break before thinking about his next move, denying rumours he might be interested in coaching the US team. "There is neither interest nor contact," he said.
Klinsmann leaves with a record of 21 wins, seven draws and six defeats in his two years in charge. As a player, he won 108 caps and scored 47 goals, helping West Germany win the World Cup in 1990 and Germany the European Championship in 1996.
Klinsmann joins Italy coach Marcello Lippi, whose resignation was also announced yesterday.
Lippi, the former Juventus boss, chose to quit his post just three days after leading the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup triumph, despite the widespread support from the public for him to stay on.
He demonstrated his coaching expertise throughout the tournament, finding the right formula for every match even though injuries and suspensions forced him to use all 20 outfield players in his squad.
Lippi was already seen as one of the greatest coaches in world football following his success during two spells with Juventus in the past 12 years, and his achievements with Italy will only strengthen this view.
Italian captain and Juventus centre-back Fabio Cannavaro, who saw at first hand the impact Lippi had on the national team, led the tributes to his former boss. "In the name of the team, I want to warmly thank Marcello Lippi," he said. "He leaves the national team as a winner and we can only thank him for his human and professional work in guiding the national team in difficult times."
Meanwhile, new German coach Loew, a former midfielder and Bundesliga coach who worked closely with Klinsmann over the past two years and comes from the same region in Germany's south-west, has agreed on a two-year contract to run the team. The deal runs until after the 2008 European Championships.
Loew played a key role in the drive to overhaul German soccer with innovative training methods and the introduction of an attractive, attacking style of play. The 46-year-old, who has coached German clubs VFB Stuttgart and Karlsruher SC and Turkish sides Fenerbahce and Adanaspor, pledged to continue with the philosophy that he and Klinsmann put in place.
"That's the only way we can achieve a lasting place among the very best in the world," said Loew.
Loew said he gains the most fulfilment from seeing a young player developing into one capable of competing with the very best. Those skills will serve him well with a team that relies heavily on young players like striker Lukas Podolski and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Loew will lead Germany into a friendly against Sweden on August 16th before their 2008 European Championships qualifying campaign starts against the Republic of Ireland in Stuttgart on Saturday, September 2nd.
