Loew set to succeed Klinsmann as Germany's coach

HAMBURG: Joachim Loew is expected to succeed Juergen Klinsmann as the new Germany football coach.

The former assistant coach Loew, 46, was finalizing his contract with officials, sources said.

Klinsmann did not renew his contract on Tuesday after leading Germany to third place at the just-concluded World Cup.

Loew's big task will be assuring qualification for Euro 2008, with Germany's first qualifier on September 6 in San Marino.

Team captain Michael Ballack said that Klinsmann's philosophy of attacking football must "definitely" be continued, a view seemingly shared by the entire German football community.

Ballack was among those who wanted the coach to continue because the World Cup showed that "Juergen Klinsmann was right".

"Whoever takes over the job from Juergen Klinsmann must continue in the same way," said DFB co-president Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder.

Klinsmann, 41, reportedly cited family reasons (he resides in California) and also allegedly told senior football officials that he had not forgotten the massive pre-World Cup criticism on his training methods and the changes he enforced within the DFB structures.