Erich Ribbeck will step down as German coach following a crisis meeting with their Football Association chief Egidius Braun. Ribbeck, in charge of the national side since September 1998, will tender his resignation after admitting he was a Euro 2000 failure.

The German FA have called a concluding media conference later today when details of Ribbeck's expected departure should be made public.

The 63-year-old was left pondering his relatively few options after his side had been humiliated 3-0 by Portugal here in their final Group A game.

But Ribbeck is believed to have already made up his mind to quit following a tournament in which his squad were divided over the coach's insistence on playing the ageing Lothar Matthaus and labelled the poorest German side for years.

They finished bottom of the group with one point from three games and Ribbeck said: 'Right from the start I said that at the end of the tournament I would have to think about my future.

'I had two objectives. The first was to qualify for Euro 2000 and the second was to finish the tournament success-fully, and in that sense I admit I failed.

'I am responsible for the team being the head coach and, as such, I am also responsible for how they played in this tournament. I do not shun that responsibility at all.'

Portugal cruised to a quarter-final tie against Turkey, sending the Germans packing with a hat-trick from Sergio Conceicao, who is in the squad as an understudy to Luis Figo.

Ribbeck's side looked, and played, like a team with their minds on a summer break while Portugal were full of confidence and swagger.

Conceicao, always a threat down the right, squeezed home the first goal after 35 minutes and added two more as Portugal revelled in their second-half superiority.

But coach Humberto Coelho would not commit himself to whether the Lazio player had done enough to keep Figo out of the side against Turkey in Amsterdam on Saturday.

Coelho said: 'Sergio, like all the others, wants to play more. It would only be problem if I didn't have both players in my squad.

'But we are already focused on the game against Turkey which will not be an easy game for us. I am very satisfied with what we have achieved so far.'

The same could not be said for the dejected figure of Ribbeck. Many of his players, including the retiring Matthaus, stayed on the pitch after the final whistle as they slowly came to terms with their ignominious exit from the competition.

Apart from a shot from Marco Bode which came back off the inside of the post when the game was goalless, Germany never threatened.

Ribbeck said: 'We had to witness how a technically superior side humiliated us and fully deserved to win.

'Once we had gone behind we never found the means to apply any pressure to avoid Portugal playing so freely.

'We had to take the lead if the game was to go our way. Our players lacked the fire and strength to turn it around.

'The future will show whether we are left with a heap of broken junk.'