Stefan Kuntz has an important vision for Turkey

Manos Staramopoulos • 14 de julio de 2022

The national coach of Turkey, spoke with Discoveryfootball about the effort he has started to raise the national team of Turkey, Karim Benzema, Qatar's world cup, Germany's national team and other interesting topics...

Stefan Kuntz Turkey´s head coach

Stefan Kuntz (born 30 October 1962) is a German professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the head coach of the Turkey national team from 19/9/2021 Kuntz represented the German national team between 1993 and 1997, reaching the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals and winning UEFA Euro 1996.


He scored six goals from 25 full caps including in the Euro 1996 semi-final elimination of England. Kuntz's playing career lasted from 1983 until 1999. He made 449 appearances and scored 179 goals in the Bundesliga. Kuntz played for Bochum, Bayer 05 Uerdingen,  Kaiserslautern and Arminia Bielefeld  and also played in Turkey for Besiktas   In 1986 and 1994, Kuntz was the top scorer in the Bundesliga.


In 1995, Kuntz joined Turkish side Beşiktaş following request of his compatriot coach Christoph Daum. Kuntz made his 1.Lig  debut on 13 August 1995 in an away game against Kayserispor  that ended 1–1. On 24 September 1995, he scored his first goal at week 5 home encounter against Istanbulspor  which ended 5–2.


In his great career Kuntz  played in 600 games scoring 239 goals. In the German national team he played 25 times, scoring 6 goals


From 2006 to 2008, Kuntz was the athletic director of Bochum  Between 2008 and 2016, he was the chairman of the board of 1. FC Kaiserslautern.


As coach of Germany U21 he won the UEFA European Under -21 Championship twice : in 2017 , his side beat Spain  1–0 in the final, and in 2021 , Germany defeated Portugal  by the same scoreline. On 19 September 2021, he was appointed as the new head coach of the Turkish national team. 


DF: You took over the technical leadership of the Turkish national team in a difficult period, as hopes of reaching the final phase of the 2022 World Cup were almost completely diminished.


SK: We succeeded to keep our World Cup hopes alive by reaching the play-offs thanks to victories against Latvia, Gibraltar, and Montenegro. Unfortunately, we lost to Portugal in the single-legged play-off game, but we learned a lot from this defeat. 


DF: But then we see that with the renewal you tried, things started and work much better…


SK: Yes, the change was noticeable, but we still have a lot of things to improve.


DF: Where do you think Turkish football should be improved, so that the Turkish national team can do better?


SK: This is a complicated matter involving lots of individual structures which are not so easy to change. 


DF: In November we have for the first time the World Cup in the middle of the season. How much will this change benefit football and how much do you think big new markets will open up in the East and beyond?


SK: It will be a big challenge for all players who take part in the World Cup. It will also be difficult for clubs who need to manage this break in the middle of the season.


DF: Who are your favourites for the 2022 World Cup?


SK: The top five countries of Europe, together with Brazil and Argentina.


DF: Is the German national team, under the guidance of Hansi Flick, capable of reaching the top, or is there a danger of premature elimination as happened in Russia back in 2018?


SK: They have good chances of reaching the semi-finals.


DF: We all know that so far Lionel Messi has not managed to lead the Argentinian national team to a World Cup victory. Will Lionel succeed this year?


SK: This will be his last try and so I expect him to work harder than ever and his teammates will probably want to give him a final present with a big achievement.


DF: This year the Golden Ball will be given before the top event which is the World Cup. Who do you think will be the big favourites to conquer it?


SK: Karim Benzema


DF: Türkiye had tried to host the final phase of the 2024 European Championship but failed. Maybe it's now Türkiye’s time to organize a top tournament. Besides, its facilities and stadiums are many and modern.


SK: I know that there is a big desire to host the final round of a European Championship. Earlier this year, the Turkish Football Federation announced its candidacy for hosting EURO 2028 and EURO 2032. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin already labelled Türkiye as a ‘strong candidate for EURO 2032’ in a recent interview.


DF: Do you think that Trabzonspor title triumph last season will contribute to the improvement of football in Türkiye?


SK: Not more or less than former champions.


DF: The presence of many foreigners in each national league helps its development. Do you believe at some point it will be needed that FIFA, UEFA and certainly the European Union should introduce certain rules?


SK: That’s up to every federation and they would decide the best for their own country.


DF: We all see that time is relentless and at some point, in the near future Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will retire. Are there successors for those big names or should we be patient?


SK: There are already a lot of potential successors for those names in the word football.


   Post recientes


Por Manos Staramopoulos 16 de abril de 2025
Arsenal failed to maintain the euphoric atmosphere that existed after the imposing 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Their tank was almost... empty, stuck at 1-1 against Brentford, and now Mikel Arteta's team seems to be raising the white flag in the championship battle!.  Now Arsenal is turning its attention exclusively to the Champions League, where after the 3-0 win, it seems to have a big lead to qualify for the semi-finals of the top club competition in Europe, if not the world.
El Barcelona de Hansi Flick jugará las semis de la Champions.
Por Juan Carlos Quiñonez Bonilla 15 de abril de 2025
El cuadro de Hansi Flick fue superado en todo por un gran Borussia Dortmund que lo devoró a base de intensidad.
Vangelis  Pavlidis striker of SL Benfica
Por Manos Staramopoulos 11 de abril de 2025
The greek striker is the first Benfica player to score 3 goals in Porto's famous "Dragão" and it is logical that his name now appears quite often on the front pages of Portuguese newspapers.
Barcelona very close of  reaches of the Champions League semifinals after won to BVB
Por Manos Staramopoulos 11 de abril de 2025
The German's Barcelona head coach, Hansi Flick's, crushed Borussia Dortmund 4-0, which caused a storm of enthusiasm among its fans.
Lamine Yamal great star of FC Barcelona
Por Manos Staramopoulos 9 de abril de 2025
Yamal made a big splash at Barcelona's party against german team in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals held at Montjuic.
El Arsenal venció al Real Madrid 3-0  en Londres
Por Juan Carlos Quiñonez Bonilla 8 de abril de 2025
El Arsenal venció al Real Madrid 3-0 en Londres y dio un paso clave hacia las semis de la Champions
Everton`s team mates in    a  full  match of Premier League in 2024
Por Juan Carlos Quiñonez Bonilla 7 de abril de 2025
Everton have recorded a loss of €63.4m in the 2023/24 season, their seventh consecutive year of financial losses
Nico  O`Reilly new star of Manchester City
Por Manos Staramopoulos 2 de abril de 2025
Nico O’Reilly is the reason why Manchester City did not exit the FA Cup and overturned Bournemouth, winning 2-1 to reach the semi-final at Wembley on 26 or 27 April
Carlo Ancelotti coach of Real Madrid`s
Por Manos Staramopoulos 27 de marzo de 2025
Brazil wants a new head coach after the defeat against Argentina 4-1 in Monumental Stadium. The italian coach is number one candidate.