Bierhoff resigns as director of Germany’s teams, academy

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

BERLIN (AP) — Oliver Bierhoff is the first managerial casualty of Germany’s early World Cup exit after agreeing to resign as managing director of the country’s national soccer teams and academy. The German soccer federation says Bierhoff has agreed to prematurely end his contract. It had been due to run through the 2024 European Championship. Germany is set to host that tournament but there are concerns about the team’s direction after a second successive World Cup exit at the group stage coming after its second-round exit from the European Championship last year. Bierhoff had a management role with the federation for 18 years since becoming manager of the men’s national team in 2004. The former Germany forward took over all of the national teams and academy in 2018.