Hitzfeld accepts Swiss challenge
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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FC Bayern München boss Ottmar Hitzfeld will replace Jakob Kuhn as coach of Switzerland after UEFA EURO 2008™, the Swiss Football Association has announced.
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The Swiss Football Association (SFV-ASF) has announced that FC Bayern München coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will replace Jakob Kuhn as Switzerland coach after UEFA EURO 2008™.
'Very pleased'
Representatives of the SFV-ASF and the 59-year-old Hitzfeld met in Munich today to sign a two-year contract beginning in July. "The Swiss FA is very pleased that Ottmar Hitzfeld, a very experienced coach with an impressive career at club level, has decided to take charge of the national team," a statement read. Hitzfeld succeeds the 64-year-old Kuhn, who was appointed in June 2001 and had said he would be stepping down after the EURO.
Swiss pedigree
Born in Lorrach, Germany, Hitzfeld is very familiar with Swiss football. As a striker he won the Swiss title with FC Basel 1893 in 1972 and 1973, being the league's top scorer in the latter campaign. Following a spell in Germany with VfB Stuttgart, he returned to Switzerland in 1978 to represent FC Lugano and FC Luzern where he ended his playing days in 1983. Hitzfeld also started his coaching career in Switzerland, winning the 1990 and 1991 championships with Grasshopper-Club before joining BV Borussia Dortmund.
European glory
In 1995 he guided Dortmund to the Bundesliga crown – their first silverware in 29 years – which was retained the following season. The highlight of his reign came in 1997 when Juventus were defeated 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League final in Munich. He repeated the feat four years later with FC Bayern München, in the process becoming the second coach after Ernst Happel to win the European Champion Clubs' Cup with two different teams.
Six titles
Hitzfeld left Bayern in 2004 but was reappointed in January 2007. Altogether he has claimed six Bundesliga titles, and he could yet sign off with a seventh. Bayern, who announced in January that Jürgen Klinsmann would replace Hitzfeld at the season's end, are three points clear at the top of the table. They are also in the UEFA Cup Round of 32 where they host Aberdeen FC on Thursday with tie poised at 2-2.
Losing run
Switzerland are co-hosts of UEFA EURO 2008™ and kick off the tournament against the Czech Republic on 7 June in Basel. They entertain Germany in a friendly on 26 March looking to end a run of three successive losses, most recently against England at Wembley two weeks ago.
