Klinsi Returns
January 11, 2008
He will fill the position vacated by Bayern's current coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who announced his decision to step down at the end of the season after criticism from the club management.
Hitzfeld came under fire when the team's performance started to slide after a sparkling start to the season. But Bayern Munich are still at the top of the Bundesliga, and in their last game before the winter break they beat Saloniki 6-0 in a UEFA Cup match.
After turning down numerous requests -- some public, others private -- from the United States, Australia and England, Klinsmann's job at Bayern Munich will be the first coaching position that he has held since handing over the top job in German soccer to his assistant Joachim Löw immediately after the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The current Germany coach expressed surprise at the news. But he added: "He is a real enrichment for German soccer. It is a really exciting project that a former national coach who achieved a lot should coach a top club."
The president of Bayern Munich and soccer legend, Franz Beckenbauer has also welcomed the decision.
"I don't think it's a bold decision. It's a clever and well-considered move," the Kaiser told the mass-market Bild newspaper. "Jürgen Klinsmann reaped success with his new methods in the national squad. And I am sure he will also have success with Bayern Munich."
In the run-up to the World Cup, Klinsmann had been widely criticized in the media, which heaped scorn on his newfangled training methods imported from the United States where he has worked in sports consultancy. But he and his squad went on to capture the imagination of the nation during the tournament in Germany.
This will not be the first time that Klinsmann has been involved with the Munich club. He spent two years at Bayern during his successful career as a player, helping them win the UEFA Cup and Bundesliga title.