Berlin, July 8 (IANS) Rudi Voller will remain sporting director of the German Football Association (DFB) and help oversee the national team’s rebuild, with Jurgen Klopp expected to play a central role in the new setup, the 66-year-old confirmed.

Voller’s future had come under scrutiny after Germany’s World Cup round of 16 elimination by Paraguay and the subsequent resignation of head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

The former Germany coach said on Tuesday he had decided to fulfil his DFB contract, which runs through the 2028 European Championship, after receiving strong backing from senior officials and figures across German football, reports Xinhua.

“I am carrying on,” Voller told a small group of media representatives in Frankfurt. “The overall package was ultimately the decisive factor in my continuing.”

Voller said a lengthy telephone conversation with Klopp on Saturday had been particularly important. Klopp, the DFB’s preferred candidate to succeed Nagelsmann, had made clear that he wanted Voller to remain involved.

DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke also supported his continuation, while Voller said he had received encouragement from Red Bull sporting executive Oliver Mintzlaff and several Bundesliga officials.

“The decisive thing is sporting success, and I also have to be judged by that,” Voller said. “For me, it was about whether it still made sense and whether I was still wanted.”

Speculation had increased after Voller backed Nagelsmann following Germany’s elimination, only for the coach to resign days later. Questions were also raised over how Voller might fit into a structure led by Klopp.

Voller said Klopp had given him the impression that their cooperation would “work superbly”, while Watzke described the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach as dominant but capable of working within a team.

Watzke and Neuendorf are due to travel to New York later this week for talks with Mintzlaff over Klopp’s release from Red Bull and with Klopp over contract details, including salary.

Voller said he would not join the trip but was confident the negotiations would result in an agreement. “They can take care of that,” he said. He added that under Klopp, he intended to operate more in the background and step forward only when necessary to “keep the whole operation together”.

–IANS

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