Joachim Löw (66) is increasingly likely to return to the field after five years. The destination, surprisingly, is the Ghana national team. With Ghana, which is in the same group as England, replacing its coach just 75 days before the World Cup, Löw, who led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title, is expected to step in as a firefighter.
The British Daily Mail earlier reported on the 4th (Korea time) that "the Ghana Football Association is close to appointing Joachim Löw as coach." According to the outlet, Ghana is preparing a short-term contract, with the contract period running until the end of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup. Löw is reportedly negotiating on the condition of receiving €150,000 per month (about 260 million won).
The Ghana national football team has recently fallen into serious decline. Last November it lost consecutively to Japan and Korea, and last month it suffered a 1-5 thrashing by Austria followed by a 1-2 loss to Germany. As a result, the Ghana Football Association abruptly dismissed coach Otto Addo just before the World Cup's first match, 75 days away.
Ghana will play its first World Cup group stage match against Panama on June 18. Then on June 23 it will face England. Coincidentally, Löw has a memory from 16 years ago. He led Germany at the 2010 South Africa World Cup and crushed England 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals. If he takes the helm of Ghana, he would meet England again as the coach of their group opponent.
Löw succeeded Jürgen Klinsmann as Germany coach in 2006. He led Germany for 15 years, achieving third place at the 2010 World Cup, winning the 2014 Brazil World Cup, and winning the 2017 Confederations Cup. He was runner-up at Euro 2008 and reached the semifinals at Euro 2012 and Euro 2016.
In particular, at the 2014 Brazil World Cup he led Germany to its fourth overall title, elevating him to the ranks of world-class managers. At that time Germany demolished host Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals and defeated Argentina in the final to claim the top spot.
However, Löw's ending was not good. At the 2018 Russia World Cup his team suffered the shock of being eliminated in the group stage, and at the Euro 2020 round of 16 they lost 0-2 to England and he stepped down. That match was his last game as Germany coach.
The Daily Mail mentioned Löw's possible return and also recalled some of his past eccentric behavior. During the Euro 2020 match against England a broadcast shot captured him touching his nose and then bringing his finger to his mouth, and in the past he stirred controversy several times for putting his hand inside his pants.
The outlet reported, "If Löw returns to the international stage, this time he could seek revenge against England together with Ghana."
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