Germany coach Loew to sign new deal - report

07 September 2013 11:01

Germany coach Joachim Loew is set to sign an extension to his contract, keeping him in the job until 2016, the daily Bild reported on Saturday.

The newspaper revealed that Wolfgang Niersbach, the president of the German Football Association (DFB), will confirm the news once Loew's side have clinched qualification for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Germany beat Austria 3-0 in Munich on Friday to sit five points clear of Sweden atop qualifying Group C with three matches left to play.

They could seal qualification on Tuesday if they win in the Faroe Islands and Sweden fail to win in Kazakhstan.

Loew's existing deal expires after the World Cup finals in Brazil, and German team manager Olivier Bierhoff has said that they must "qualify (for the finals) before getting together to discuss" a possible new deal.

Bierhoff and goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke are also reportedly set to sign extensions to keep them with the national team until 2016, when Germany will hope to feature at the European Championship in France.

Bild added that Loew's assistant Hansi Flick is likely to become the new technical director, a position left vacant when Robin Dutt departed to become coach of Werder Bremen.

Loew, 53, replaced Jurgen Klinsmann as Germany coach after the 2006 World Cup and took the team to the final of Euro 2008, where they lost 1-0 to Spain in Vienna.

They then finished third at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before losing to Italy in the semi-finals of Euro 2012.

In March 2011 Loew signed a new deal through to the end of the 2014 World Cup.

He came in for criticism after Germany's exit from Euro 2012, but has always been backed by the DFB.

Source: AFP