(Adds Forsa poll in para 5)
By Erik Kirschbaum
BERLIN, July 6 - Franz Beckenbauer said on
Thursday he hoped Juergen Klinsmann would stay on as coach
because the job he started rebuilding Germany football is not
finished yet.
Germany's World Cup organising committee president, who led
West Germany to the championship as a player in 1974 and coach
in 1990, praised Klinsmann for taking his young team to the
semi-final even though he has long been a critic of the coach.
"The team has faith in him, he has faith in the team, and
those are the best possible conditions," Beckenbauer told a
group of journalists.
"I think he should stay on. He should finish what he's
started," he added.
A huge majority in Germany appear to agree. Among 1,002
Germans polled on July 5 by the Forsa research instutute, 93
percent said they wanted Klinsmann to continue and 95 percent
said they were proud of the team's World Cup performance.
Beckenbauer had been critical of everything from Klinsmann's
decision to live in California and commute back and forth to
Germany as well as the former striker's emphasis on
high-scoring, attacking football.
Beckenbauer said, however, no one should expect Klinsmann to
make an instant decision on whether he will stay. Klinsmann's
two-year contract runs out after the World Cup. He has said he
has not yet made up his mind whether to continue.
DECIDE SOON
Some German soccer officials have said he must decide soon
because Germany's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign begins in eight
weeks. Germany's next match is a friendly against Sweden on Aug.
16 before their first qualifier against Ireland on Sept. 2.
"I think it's important that he doesn't let himself be
influenced by the impressions of the World Cup," said
Beckenbauer, who quit himself after winning the championship as
West Germany coach in 1990.
Beckenbauer, who is also a German football association (DFB)
director, was among those who hired Klinsmann two years ago
after two other candidates turned them down.
"He's doing exactly the right thing now," said Beckenbauer.
"He's going to go home, discuss it all with his family. He's
going to let the impressions of the World Cup go by and will
hopefully make the right decision."
Klinsmann featured in Beckenbauer's team which won the World
Cup in 1990.