Germany have sacked the country’s football team coach, Hansi Flick, following an embarrassing 4-1 friendly defeat at home to Japan on Saturday.

This comes just nine months before the start of Germany’s home European Championships next summer.

Germany have lost four times in their last five games which comes on the back of a group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup.

The German Football Association President, Bernd Neuendorf, in a statement on Sunday, said: “The men’s senior national team needs new impetus after the recent disappointing results. We need a spirit of optimism and confidence in our own country.

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“For me personally, it is one of the most difficult decisions of my time in office so far because I appreciate Hansi Flick and his assistant coaches as football experts and people. But sporting success is the top priority for the DFB. So the decision was inevitable.”

Flick’s assistant coaches Marcus Sorg and Danny Rohl were also relieved of their duties with immediate effect.

Rudi Voller, who managed Germany from 2000 to 2004, Hannes Wolf, and Sandro Wagner will take charge of Tuesday’s friendly against France in Dortmund.

“The aim is to arrange Hansi Flick’s successor as quickly as possible,” the DFB added.

Flick, a former Bayern Munich manager, won just 12 of his 25 matches in charge since replacing Joachim Low in August 2021, who he worked under as an assistant from 2006 to 2014.

The 58-year-old manager oversaw eight consecutive wins at the start of his reign but at the Qatar World Cup, Germany failed to get out of Group E after losing to Japan, drawing with Spain and beating Costa Rica.

Oman and Peru are the only other nations Germany beaten in the past 12 months.

The Star