Klinsmann to coach Bayern Munich

Juergen Klinsmann, who guided Germany to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, will become Bayern Munich's new coach, replacing Ottmar Hitzfeld on July 1.

Klinsmann, 43, quit the German job after the World Cup and has not coached since. He turned down an offer to coach the US and has been linked to various other coaching positions, including at Liverpool.

Before taking over Germany, Klinsmann had never been a coach.

Bayern, who made the surprise announcement on its Web site yesterday, said Klinsmann would be officially presented at an afternoon news conference at a Munich hotel.

Klinsmann for Bayern Munich between 1995 and 1997, but was not believed to have a close relationship with Bayern's management. Bayern officials, including president Franz Beckenbauer and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, had criticized Klinsmann when he was in charge of Germany.

While for Bayern, Klinsmann won a Bundesliga title and the UEFA Cup. He also played for Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Tottenham and Monaco, and scored 47 goals in 108 games for Germany.

Taking Bayern job means Klinsmann will have to leave his California residence in Huntington Beach, a move he has long resisted. He even commuted between California and his homeland while in charge of Germany.

The appointment took Germany completely by surprise and dominated the news around the country. Klinsmann's name had never come up in speculation about Hitzfeld's successor.

"I counted with all sorts of options, but this was never one of them," said Udo Lattek, a former Bayern coach and now a television commentator.

Joachim Loew, who was Klinsmann's assistant and replaced him as Germany coach, was also surprised by the news.

"But after our telephone conversations in recent weeks and months, I was sure that he would return to a coaching job," Loew said.

"It will be a gain for German soccer. It's an exciting project to have a former national team coach, who shook up a lot of things, take over a top German club. I am looking forward to good cooperation," he said.

Hitzfeld last week that he would leave the club at the end of the season.

The 58-year-old Hitzfeld, one of two men to win European Cup titles with different clubs, ended weeks of speculation about his future after he was stung by public criticism from Bayern's management in November.

Hitzfeld over as Bayern coach on Feb. 1, his second stint at Germany's top club. During his first stint between 1998 and 2004, Hitzfeld won the 2001 Champions League title, four Bundesliga titles and the German Cup.

He also won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, matching the achievement of Ernst Happel, who won the European Cup with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburger SV in 1983.

Bayern's apparently wasn't happy this season after spending US$103 million on new players to assemble the most expensive team in Bundesliga history.

The team's results have slumped after a record start, although they still lead the league on goal difference ahead of Werder Bremen. In November, Rummenigge publicly criticized Hitzfeld for resting most of his regular starters for a 2-2 UEFA Cup draw against Bolton.

Hitzfeld, who rested the players for a Bundesliga match two days later, described the criticism as a "severe blow."