Markus Babbel's hopes of remaining on as Stuttgart manager beyond the end of the season have suffered a blow after he was told he would not be permitted to remain in the role until he obtains his coaching badge.
The German Football League (DFL) gave Babbel special dispensation to remain in his position until the end of the season, but no exceptions will be made for the 2009/2010 campaign.
Since it would take Babbel longer than the summer to obtain his badge, he would therefore be ineligible to sit on the bench for the start of next season.
"We have taken into consideration that Markus Babbel has the A-licence and he was already a member of Stuttgart's coaching team so we can justify making an exception until the end of the season," explained DFL general manager Holger Hieronymus.
"An extension is out of the question."
The German Football Association's technical manager Matthias Sammer, who himself was given special dispensation to coach Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in 2002, emphasized the importance of coaches following the course.
"It should be normal that we maintain a high level of technical knowledge and that requires an extensive, lengthy engagement in completing the football coaching course," he said via a press release.
Stuttgart may now have to find a new coach to replace Babbel, who has won two and drawn two of his games in charge since replacing Armin Veh last month.
