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Hertha Berlin coach Jurgen Klinsmann has said it does not matter whether his coaching licence is renewed by the German Football Association this weekend or next week.
The former USMNT coach could be ineligible to lead his team against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Sunday after he failed to submit a valid coaching licence.
Klinsmann was appointed as Hertha interim coach on short notice in late November and a valid licence has been missing during the time in which his side have won eight points from the German’s first five games in charge leading into the winter break.
In German football, a coaching licence has to be renewed every three years and coaches must undergo 20 hours of training in order to have it renewed.
Klinsmann last coached in the Bundesliga in 2009 before moving to the United States for his role with the USMNT, which lasted until his firing in late 2016.
Earlier this week, German outlet Bild broke the news that Klinsmann had failed to renew his German coaching licence, with the coach later saying he had left behind his certificates from courses in the United States and Mexico.
“The situation is that I will get them the things they need and they will renew it accordingly,” Klinsmann said.
“But on a practical side, it’s no problem. [Assistant coaches] Alexander Nouri and Markus Feldhoff both have the licence and mine is getting renewed now. It’s a process.
“It’s a nice story for the media, I get that, but it did not disturb us at all.”
If the matter is not resolved in time, Klinsmann will not be able to coach Hertha against Bayern — whom he coached and played for in the past — but he will be able to sit on the bench on Sunday.
“We are in communication with both the German League and the German FA,” Hertha sporting executive Michael Preetz said, pointing out that the process could take a while in an association as big as the German FA.
“If it’s at the weekend, nice,” Klinsmann said. “If not, it’ll be solved next week.”