Stuttgart - Bernd Schuster is a candidate for the VfB Stuttgart coaching post as current incumbent Markus Babbel can only continue in his role until the end of the season as he hasn't got a coaching licence, the Sport-Bild reported Wednesday.

Stuttgart denied the report that Schuster, who was sacked as Real Madrid coach last week, was being considered for the job and refused to comment further on the situation.

The German football federation (DFB) and German football league (DFL) announced Tuesday that Babbel must obtain a full German coaching licence if he wants to be in charge of VfB Stuttgart beyond the end of the season.

The DFB and DFL no longer grant preferential treatment to ex- internationals like Babbel, meaning the former Bayern Munich defender, who was appointed three weeks ago after the sacking of Armin Veh, needs to obtain a full licence. (dpa)