Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is no longer coach of Germany’s women’s soccer team

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will not return as coach of Germany’s women’s soccer team.

The German soccer federation said Saturday that it decided at a joint meeting the day before that they were to end their collaboration “with immediate effect,” concluding her five-year stint in charge.

Voss-Tecklenburg had been on sick leave since Germany’s earliest exit ever at the Women’s World Cup in August. The federation said in September that she was unavailable for the Nations League games against Denmark and Iceland, and it appointed the 72-year-old Horst Hrubesch as interim coach in her place.

The federation said the 55-year-old Voss-Tecklenburg had an illness, without going into further details, and officials gave the impression they wanted to stick with her as coach. They evidently changed their minds in the meantime.

“After a detailed analysis of the disappointing performance of the women’s national team at the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there was agreement that the team needed a fresh start in terms of sporting leadership,” the federation said in a statement Saturday.

Voss-Tecklenburg, who made 125 appearances as a player for Germany, had taken over from interim coach Hrubesch in 2018. At the World Cup the following year, her team lost in the quarterfinals against Sweden.

Voss-Tecklenburg’s biggest achievement came when she led the side to the 2022 European Championship final against England. Germany lost 2-1 in extra time without injured captain Alexandra Popp.

Voss-Tecklenburg extended her contract last April through the 2025 European Championship. The federation did not say whether Hrubesch would remain or whether it was looking for another successor.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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