The former president of the German Football Federation (DFB) says coach Juergen Klinsmann would have been sacked during the 2006 World Cup if the tournament had gone badly for the host team.

Theo Zwanziger says he and three other top DFB officials, including World Cup organizing committee chief Franz Beckenbauer, devised the plan to fire Klinsmann during the tournament if it turned into a "sporting disaster" for the home team. Only the four men knew about the plan to replace Klinsmann with sporting director Matthias Sammer, who was unaware of the idea.

Zwanziger was never a friend of Klinsmann and installed Sammer over Klinsmann's objections. Klinsmann led Germany to a third-place finish.

Zwanziger revealed the plan in a book. Bild newspaper is publishing excerpts ahead of publication.