Hitzfeld to retire after Brazil
Print Edition
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will quit after the World Cup in Brazil next year, he told a news conference in Berne yesterday less than a week after guiding his side to the finals.
The 64-year-old German, one of Europe’s most successful coaches, said it was the most difficult decision of his career but that he could “live without football”.
Hitzfeld, who won the German Bundesliga five times with Bayern Munich and twice with Borussia Dortmund, as well as the Champions League with both clubs, took over from Koebi Kuhn in 2008.
His reign began disastrously with a home defeat against Luxembourg in a World Cup qualifier in one of his first games, but the team recovered to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Unbeaten in 14 games, Switzerland won seven and drew three of its 2014 qualifiers and also beat Brazil in a friendly in August.
Those results helped catapult the Swiss to seventh in the FIFA rankings and means they will be seeded at the World Cup draw in December, ahead of teams such as Italy and England.
“After the World Cup in Brazil, I will be 65 years old,” Hitzfeld told reporters at the Swiss federation’s headquarters.
“After 30 years in the strength-sapping world of football, my time has come to stop.”
“I can live without football, there are more important things in life and my wife will be happy about this,” he added.
However, he will continue his work as a television analyst with a German cable network. “I like doing it, I’m always right.”
“With him, we have achieved an historic feat,” association president Peter Gillieron said. “As regrettable as this decision is, we must accept and respect it.”
Hitzfeld has been helped by Switzerland’s successful youth development policy, which has also been hailed as an example of successful integration in a country sometimes criticized for its treatment of immigrants.
Almost half the Swiss squad consists of players from immigrant backgrounds, particularly Kosovo. Several, such as Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern), Blerim Dzemaili, Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami (all Napoli) have graduated to play with top European clubs.
Hitzfeld has long had connections with Switzerland. He was born near Basel, on the other side of the border, and speaks the local Swiss dialect.
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