9, March 2021
Bundes Fußball: Loew to step down after this year’s Euros 0
Germany’s World Cup-winning head coach Joachim Loew will step down after the European championships this July, the German football association said on Tuesday.
Loew will leave with a year left on his contract having signed up until the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
In a statement, Loew said he was “full of pride and enormous gratitude” after nearly 15 years as national coach and that he was “motivated” for his swansong at the rearranged European championships from June 11-July 11.
Fritz Keller, the president of the German football association (DFB), said Loew’s decision “gives us the necessary time to name his successor calmly”.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick, who was Loew’s assistant coach when Germany won the 2014 World Cup, have been mentioned as early frontrunners for the job.
Loew has vowed to go out on a high at the European championships but Germany face a tough task to has been drawn in the same group as world champions France and holders Portugal.
“I still feel the will, great energy and ambition,” Loew insisted.
“I will do my best to make our fans happy and be successful at this tournament.”
– ‘Great triumphs, painful defeats’ –
The 61-year-old nicknamed “Jogi” has been in charge of Germany since 2006. The 2014 triumph in Brazil, where his side beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final thanks to Mario Goetze’s extra-time winner, was the highpoint of his reign.
But Loew has faced three years of criticism since holders Germany crashed out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the group stage.
The calls for him to resign grew louder since Germany were hammered 6-0 by Spain in the Nations League last November.
Until the 2014 debacle, the Germans had reached at least the semi-finals of every tournament under Loew.
“I have worked with the best footballers in the country and supported them in their development,” Loew said on Tuesday.
“I have had great triumphs with them and painful defeats, but above all many wonderful and magical moments – not just winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.”
The fallout from the debacle in Russia tainted his legacy as he struggled to rebuild the team.
His decision in March 2019 to end the international careers of veterans Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels soon backfired.
The assured performances of Mueller and Boateng in 2019/20 helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League title and led to Loew constantly having to defend his decision to sideline them from the national setup.
Recently Loew has hinted that he may recall the exiled trio for Germany’s World Cup qualifiers at the end of March.
His record as coach is an impressive 120 wins in 189 games with Germany as well as 38 draws and 31 defeats.
“I have great respect for Joachim Loew’s decision,” German FA (DFB) president Fritz Keller in a statement.
“The DFB knows what it has in ‘Jogi’, he is one of the greatest coaches in world football.
“Jogi Loew has shaped German football like hardly anyone else over the years and has helped it achieve the highest international reputation.”
Source: AFP
9, March 2021
Japan to stage Tokyo Olympics ‘without overseas spectators’ 0
Japan has decided to stage this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about Covid-19, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing officials with knowledge of the matter.
The Tokyo 2020 games organising committee said in response that a decision would be made by the end of March.
The Olympics, postponed by a year because of the pandemic, are scheduled for July 23 to Aug. 8, and the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
Kyodo said the Japanese government had concluded that welcoming fans from abroad would not be possible given public concern about the coronavirus and the detection of more contagious variants in many countries, Kyodo cited the officials as saying.
The opening ceremony of the torch relay would also be held without any spectators, Kyodo said.
“The organising committee has decided it is essential to hold the ceremony in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima behind closed doors, only permitting participants and invitees to take part in the event, to avoid large crowds forming amid the pandemic,” Kyodo said, quoting the officials.
Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto has said she wants a decision on whether to let in overseas spectators before the start of the torch relay on March 25.
“Five parties, the IOC, the IPC (International Paralympic Committee), Tokyo 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the national government, came together for a meeting via online just last week,” the organising committee said in response to the Kyodo report.
“The decision regarding allowing spectators from overseas to attend the Tokyo 2020 Games will be made by the end of March based on factors including the state of infections in Japan and other countries, possible epidemic-prevention measures, and expert scientific advice will be considered.”
Public wary
In the last Olympic Games, the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, local fans accounted for 80 percent of all ticket sales, with international fans buying 20 percent.
While coronavirus infection numbers have been relatively low in Japan compared with the United States and many European countries, the country has been hit hard by the third wave of the pandemic and Tokyo remains under a state of emergency.
Japan has recorded more than 441,200 Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with the death toll at more than 8,300.
Most Japanese people do not want international visitors to attend the Games amid fears that a large influx could spark a resurgence of infections, a Yomiuri newspaper poll showed.
The survey showed 77% of respondents were against allowing foreign fans to attend, versus 18% in favour.
Some 48% said they were against allowing any spectators into venues and 45% were in favour.
Source: REUTERS