“Right now I need some time off. In a couple of weeks when I’ve got myself back into everyday life I’ll ask myself – what do I really want? Can I motivate myself to take part in the European tournament in two years’ time? And then I’ll find the answer,” she told German daily newspaper Bild.

The 47-year-old said she was deeply disappointed by her team’s defeat on Saturday when Japan scored a goal in extra-time to book a semi-final place against Sweden on Wednesday, wrecking the Germans’ bid to win a third straight World Cup title.

Asked whether she should resign, Neid said: “One can ask the question. But it’s my employer, the German Football Federation (DFB), and myself who will decide.”

Neid, who coached Germany to their 2007 World Cup win in China, has come in for some criticism here after captain Birgit Prinz and star winger Fatmire Bajramaj were hardly used in the tournament as both struggled for form.

The price of the Japan defeat has been high for Germany: they have missed a place at the London 2012 Olympic Games as World Cup semi-finalists France and Sweden have taken the two available European places alongside hosts Great Britain.

But Theo Zwanziger, the president of the German Football Federation (DFB) has backed Neid and says he has no plans to search for a new coach for the women’s team.

Zwanziger consoled Neid directly after the 1-0 defeat to Japan in Wolfsburg having extended Neid’s contract until 2016 shortly before the World Cup began on June 26.

“I can’t imagine that,” Zwanziger told internet portal Sport1. “We will watch the World Cup games, then she can take a bit of time and we’ll talk. My prediction is that we will prepare for the next big tournament, the European Championships, with Silvia Neid as coach.”

AFP/mdm