Coach's Fate

Lippi quits as Italy coach
Italy's FIFA World Cup™-winning coach Marcello Lippi has resigned, a press officer for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday.
The 58-year-old Lippi led the Azzurri to their first FIFA World Cup title since 1982 on Sunday when they beat France on penalties in the final in Berlin.
Lippi took over from Giovanni Trapattoni in July 2004 after Italy's disappointing exit in the group stages of UEFA EURO 2004. In two years under Lippi's guidance, Italy lost only twice - a 2-0 defeat on his debut against Iceland and a 1-0 loss to Slovenia, both in 2004.


Domenech to remain France coach
Raymond Domenech will stay on as coach after leading France to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ final, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Tuesday.
Domenech, who took over from Jacques Santini after UEFA EURO 2004, was offered an extension to his two-year contract and he accepted it, the FFF said on their website.
"Taking into account the excellent performance of France during the World Cup, the federal committee unanimously offered Raymond Domenech the chance to carry on his mission as national coach," a statement said.
The contract details of the extension will be discussed between federation chairman Jean-Pierre Escalettes and Domenech before the next meeting of the FFF's board.
France lost the FIFA World Cup final on penalties to Italy. They play a friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo on 16 August.
They will start their qualifying campaign for the UEFA EURO 2008 championship with a game in Georgia on 2 September before they host the Italians at the Stade de France four days later.
Domenech, 54, wore the colours of Olympique Lyon, Strasbourg, Paris St Germain, Bordeaux and Mulhouse as a player between 1970 and 1988.
He helped Strasbourg to the league title in 1979 and Bordeaux in 1984, and won the French Cup with Lyon in 1973.
Considered a tough defender, he earned eight caps for France.
Domenech began coaching the France U21 squad in 1993 and led the team to the final of the UEFA EURO 2002 championship in Switzerland.
He took over from Santini after France's failure at the UEFA EURO 2004 championship in Portugal and helped the 1998 world champions finish top of their group and qualify directly for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Klinsmann steps down as Germany coach

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who led his young team to a surprise third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup™, has decided not to extend his contract, which expired at the end of the tournament.
A German soccer federation (DFB) official confirmed local media reports that Klinsmann would step aside and that a news conference was planned for later on Wednesday. "The reports are not incorrect," the official told Reuters.
Klinsmann, who lives in southern California, had been urged to stay on after Germany beat Portugal in the third place match on Saturday, but he said he needed to consult with his family before making a decision.
All 23 players in Germany's squad, 93 per cent of the public, according to opinion polls, and even some of his harshest critics had said they wanted him to continue.
Earlier, newspapers Bild and Sueddeutsche Zeitung and German sports news agency SID reported that the former Germany striker, who won the FIFA World Cup as a player in 1990, had decided to step down.
A news conference will take place in Frankfurt at 0930 GMT, with media reports saying assistant coach Joachim Low will be offered the job.
Germany have a friendly against Sweden on 16 August before their 2008 UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign starts in September. DFB co-president Theo Zwanziger has said a decision must be made before the match with the Swedes.
Klinsmann has dismissed reports he received a lucrative offer to coach the United States and has said he is not interested in managing another national team such as England or Italy.