Roy Almost Managed Germany But The Kaiser Put The Kibosh On It

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2012/06/17/roy-hodgson-almost-managed-germany-but-franz-beckenbauer-stopped-it-102039-23897257/


Roy Hodgson almost managed Germany - but Franz Beckenbauer stopped it


Jun 17 2012 By Dean Jones



ROY HODGSON has revealed how Franz Beckenbauer stopped him from becoming Germany manager.

Hodgson hopes to lead England through to the knockout stages of Euro 2012 this week - but now admits he came close to bossing the Germans in 1998.

It was only when 'Der Kaiser' raised concerns over Roy's nationality that the German FA turned their attention away from Hodgson.

Hodgson said: "When I was at Blackburn, the German national team contacted me with a view of my becoming their manager.

"But Franz Beckenbauer, who had a huge influence in the German game, to his great credit put a block on me, saying it would be a terrible admission of incompetence if it weren't possible to find a coach who was German."

Hodgson was a surprise choice to become England manager but is proud to have succeeded Italian Fabio Capello at the helm.

In an interview with Blizzard magazine, he added: "The media use terms like sexy in football, and that doesn't fit my description too well!

"But I find myself on coaching seminars having to defend the opinion that English coaches are not intrinsically better or worse than their foreign counterparts."