Hitzfield Retires After World Cup

The World Cup 2014 will be the curtain call for Swiss national team manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, who will be stepping down from his post. He has already announced that this will be his last job as a manager. Hitzfeld has been one of most respected coaches in the last 45 years of his managerial reign. He has led big clubs like Bayern Munich to incredible success over the years. The German has lifted several league titles apart from two Champions League titles in his stellar career. He could have won three Champions League titles had it not been for the extraordinary defeat suffered at the hands of Manchester United in 1999.

Hitzfeld was offered a two-year extension by the Swiss FA, but he decided to turn it down and announced his retirement. He has stated that his football career has been so vast that he will now look forward to being without it. Hitzfeld will be taking his Swiss team into the World Cup 2014 with a real possibility of reaching the knockout stages. Only France are seen as the tough opponents for them in the stage, while Honduras and Ecuador will be the other group opponents. Hitzfeld is expected to field an attacking team for these matches.

"I would like to live without this pressure, I've had it for a long time and it's been great, but now it's time to bow out and this World Cup, which is a highlight, is the right time. After 30 years in the strength-sapping world of football, the time has come for me to stop. I can live without football, there are more important things in life and my wife will be happy about this," said the manager after announcing his retirement. He is expected to name a squad in the next few days.