The uncertain situation surrounding national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is putting a strain on the DFB women. There is a lot at stake against Iceland in Bochum.
The German footballers could also use a spirit of optimism like the one under the new national coach Julian Nagelsmann among the men.
Before the very important second Nations League game against Iceland on Tuesday (6.15 p.m./ZDF) in Bochum, the state of limbo caused by the illness of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is causing problems for everyone. “It’s not an easy situation with all that goes on,” said defense chief Marina Hegering.
For goalkeeper Merle Frohms, after the 2-0 loss at the start on Friday in Denmark, the main thing is to “let the negative emotions out. Then the how is of secondary importance, only a win counts.” In the end, only the group winner can continue to fight for Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. “Now your back is against the wall. From now on you have to win all the games,” said Frohms’ Wolfsburg teammate Hegering. If the German team misses the Olympics again, as they did in Tokyo in 2021, the European vice-champions face a long dry spell until the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland.
DFB women no longer in the world class
At the World Cup, the women in Australia had just as embarrassing a preliminary round exit as the men did in Qatar. The following applies to both selection teams: They are no longer among the absolute best in the world – although the fall of captain Alexandra Popp and Co. is even steeper just one year after the exciting European Championships in England.
Britta Carlson may be called upon to be the women’s boss for the last time. Voss-Tecklenburg’s assistant and representative had already stated that she did not want to become a national coach. The return of the national coach (contract until 2025) is uncertain. The 55-year-old has not commented publicly on her health. And the German Football Association with Bernd Neuendorf at the helm? In contrast to the appointment of Nagelsmann, who was presented as the new head of the men’s national team just twelve days after the separation from Hansi Flick, his options for action are limited.
“There is no time limit for a sick note. If someone is unable to work due to illness, then that’s how it is,” explained labor lawyer Martin Gutzeit from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, explaining the protection against dismissal for illnesses such as in the Voss-Tecklenburg case. “Labor law also applies to the DFB. If Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s contract is limited in time, then in principle it cannot be properly terminated.”
WM analysis not yet completed
Nevertheless, it is clear that the DFB women cannot and do not want to carry around this “backpack” (Carlson) for much longer. “I would like to see clarity for everyone so that Germany can regain its strength as it was before,” said even the otherwise reserved Carlson.
Theoretically, Voss-Tecklenburg could return to the bench on October 27th in Sinsheim against Wales and on October 31st in Iceland – but that is considered unlikely. The World Cup analysis is still not completed because the national coach is missing. The fact that Voss-Tecklenburg was criticized by the players is now considered undisputed.
Incidentally, the German women’s team also has a bad memory associated with Iceland – currently 14th in the FIFA world rankings and not taking part in the World Cup in Australia: after the European Championship quarter-final defeat against Denmark in 2017, the then coach Steffi Jones messed it up World Cup qualifier in Wiesbaden against Iceland (2:3) and had to make way for Horst Hrubesch a few months later. The short-term coach was then replaced by Voss-Tecklenburg in November 2018.
Source: Stern
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