Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann said he was overcome with emotion after the hosts secured third place at the World Cup with a 3-1 win over Portugal here on Saturday and emphasized that he needed time and a clear head to decide his future.
"It is difficult to put into words what happened tonight. It went beyond what we have seen in the past three weeks," Klinsmann said. "So much has happened in the last few weeks and I haven't taken it all on board yet. Give me a few days."
"I am overwhelmed by emotion at the moment and need to process things in my mind before making a decision," he said.
PHOTO: AFP
Klinsmann's contract has now expired and the German Football Federation are desperate for him to continue until Euro 2008.
And the country's top-selling Bild newspaper launched a petition on Saturday to persuade him to remain at the helm.
Despite having no previous managerial experience Klinsmann has worked wonders with Germany in his two years at the helm and only Italy's 2-0 extra-time semi-final win denied them a spot in yesterday's final in Berlin.
"The team played with so much commitment and joy. I am so proud of this team and their achievement," he said. "I am so happy that this has been a World Cup that has had immeasurable value to Germany."
"At the beginning of the tournament we hoped for a positive development but we could not anticipate what would happen. It has been an avalanche of emotions for all concerned," he said.
Wins over Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador, Argentina and now Portugal have seen the host nation captivated by World Cup fever but Klinsmann was still left disappointed at failing to reach their goal of becoming world champions.
"It was important to finish with a victory in front of our fans. We were deeply disappointed about the Italy loss but bounced back," Klinsmann said.
"We are happy with what we achieved and this tournament has been a success but we have not achieved our ultimate goal to be world champions," he added.
"It is like when you go to the Olympic Games -- you want gold not silver," he said.
In the end Germany got the equivalent of bronze but Klinsmann, a World Cup winner as a player with West Germany in 1990, said he was honored that he and his team had won respect from so many great soccer figureheads.
West Germany's 1974 World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer has lauded the team throughout the finals and urged Klinsmann to carry on in a chat after the final whistle.
"Franz told me to keep up the good work and I said `we'll see about that,'" the 41-year-old said. "These were heartfelt words from Franz. To hear this from someone like Franz Beckenbauer is really amazing."
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and