DFB confirms talks with Flick have begun
Germany's Associated Press (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) received confirmation on Tuesday that the DFB has begun talks with Bayern München trainer Hans-Dieter Flick about assuming the German national team's soon-to-be vacant head-coaching position.
Negotiations between the FCB and their current trainer did indeed stretch into the late hours of Tuesday morning, but the German giants were able to come to agreement on the termination of Hansi Flick's contract. As some have speculated, Bayern's executives sought some clarity on Flick's future.
Responding to an inquiry from Germany's associated press on Tuesday, the German national FA confirmed that they had opened up talks with both Bayern and Flick's representatives about the Bundestrainer job.
"It is well known that Hansi Flick is held in high regard at the DFB and is an excellent candidate to be the national team head-coach," the FA respond in a written statement, "Against that backdrop, we will now hold talks with him and Bayern."
Flick's eventual appointment as Joachim Löw's successor may not move as fast as some of the other coaching changes taking place across the Bundesrepublik this spring. Even though Flick's return to the Nationalmannschaft can be considered a forgone conclusion, the bureaucratic technicalities associated with the position mean that an announcement may take several more days.
"We offer no further comments on the procedure at this time," the statement continues, "which we we'll carefully coordinate with all parties involved in all due care and calm."
Flick served as an assistant coach on the national team, first under Jürgen Klinsmann in 2006, then under Löw until the World Cup Victory in 2014. After spending three years as a DFB boss, he left the association on his own accord in 2017.
Many will recall that Flick actually ran the German national team from the touchline during a round-of-16 encounter against Portugal in the Euro 2008 tournament. Löw had been banned from the sidelines after being ejected during the final group stage match against Austria.