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Stefan Kuntz
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Francois Nel / Getty Images
The Turkish national soccer team is threatened with the next setback - and Stefan Kuntz seems chosen to solve the problems.
According to information from the Turkish media, the U21 European champion in the service of the German Football Association (DFB) is already in Istanbul to negotiate with the new national team director and ex-Bundesliga professional Hamit Altintop.
The Turkish newspaper Sabah Spor published a video showing Kuntz at the airport in Istanbul.
As a former professional from Besiktas (1995/1996), Kuntz has experience in Turkey and is said to be Altintop's top candidate. After winning the European Championship this summer with the U21s, the former striker was also traded as the national coach of the German senior team. However, the DFB signed ex-Bayern coach Hansi Flick as the successor to Joachim Löw and left Kuntz in the U21. Kuntz had briefly flirted with his resignation because he felt abandoned by the Bundesliga clubs when the Olympic team was nominated.
At the beginning of September, when he had successfully started the next European Championship qualification with the new U21, Kuntz had confirmed the "interest of associations and clubs" in himself.
"It's normal for this to make you think," he said.
Kuntz had recently reached the European Championship finals three times in a row with the U21s and won the title twice.
The DFB wants to continue with Kuntz, but should not stand in the way of a change sought by Kuntz.
Last Friday, the Turkish association separated from Senol Günes.
The 69-year-old coach could no longer be held after a sporty decline in the past weeks and months.
At last summer's European Championship, Günes and his team failed in the group stage after three defeats.
Qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is also in danger.
In the World Cup qualifying group G, after a 6-1 defeat in Amsterdam, the team is only in third place behind the Netherlands and Norway.
The Turks will receive Norway on the coming match day and could overtake the table.
Afterwards, three defeatable opponents await: Latvia, Gibraltar and Montenegro.
krä / sid