BERLIN, 17 June 2006 — Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann yesterday gave his players a night off at the World Cup, but did not expect them to be partying into the early hours.
After beginning the tournament with two victories, the players were given yesterday afternoon off following a morning fitness session and told to report back for training today evening. The players have been allowed to leave the Berlin team camp to spend the time at home with their wives, friends or families.
Klinsmann said the measure was not a “reward” following victories over Costa Rica and Poland but planned from the beginning.
“We have no problems giving them their free day. We know they are professional enough to know what to do. They are grown-ups and you can give grown-ups time off and say ‘do what you think is best and tomorrow evening training at six is scheduled.’” Klinsmann said he had full confidence his players would act professionally. At past World Cups, German internationals had reportedly got up to all sorts of ruses to escape the dreaded “Lagerkoller” — a sort of team camp blues — that inevitably befalls 23 young men living together in relative isolation for weeks on end.
“This is another generation,” said Klinsmann. “They know what they want. They are very concentrated and have set themselves certain goals. “We know they won’t be hanging around in a discotheque in Berlin until 2 or 3 in the morning. They will be doing everything they can to have a successful World Cup. You can see this in every training session and every game.”
Organizers Praise England Fans
England’s fans, so often the pariahs of world football, are making headlines again at the World Cup — for all the right reasons.
Wolfgang Niersbach, vice-president of the German organizing committee, told journalists at FIFA’s daily news briefing yesterday that the behavior of the England fans was one of the highlights of the World Cup so far.
“By our estimates there were 60,000 or 70,000 English fans in Nuremberg for the match against Trinidad & Tobago and their exemplary behavior was being discussed by many people last night.
“We would like to say we have tremendous praise for the way the English fans are behaving.” Just 26 England supporters were detained by police in Nuremberg either before or after England’s 2-0 win which secured their passage to the last 16 of the tournament.
Niersbach also said the behavior of the Swedish fans in Berlin for their match against Paraguay was also excellent — and that many German fans donned Sweden’s yellow shirts in support of the Scandinavian team.
“The atmosphere at the stadiums yesterday was incredible,” he added.
Ecuador on a High — and Proving It’s Not Just the Altitude Factor
For Ecuador’s high-flying footballers, there’s special satisfaction in proving wrong those who bang on about them being flukes because Quito is 2,850 meters above sea level.
They qualified third from South America for this World Cup behind Brazil and Argentina — two countries they won against up in the breathless heights of Quito.
Down to earth in Gelsenkirchen and Hamburg they put five goals past Poland and Costa Rica, kept a clean sheet, and now relish the prospect of beating Germany next Tuesday in Berlin.
Even if they only manage a draw, they’ll still end top of Group A. National pride is another thing on a high in Ecuador right now. Their reaching the knock-out stage of the World Cup is already historic.
“And we want to keep writing history,” their Colombian coach Luis Suarez said after Thursday’s impressive 3-0 trouncing of Costa Rica. “My dream is to reach the final and win. Nothing’s impossible.
The big South American football nations are Brazil and Argentina. Now Ecuador has the chance to join them.” First on the list is the Germany match. “We’re not thinking about a draw or about the first place. We simply want to win and not get bound up with tactics,” said midfielder Edwin Tenorio.
Back home, everything has come to a standstill in a country that’s enjoying a welcome break from economic woes, political strife and the daily grind of poverty.
List of Losers’ Excuses Is Long — and Creative
Loud, sleep-depriving fan celebrations in the street. Croaking frogs outside the team’s hotel. And, oh yes, those sun-dried football pitches in the stadiums. When it comes to excuses for miserable playing, the world’s 32 best football teams are often more creative than on the field. Laying the groundwork for future excuses is especially tricky, as Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin found out. He forecast a dull game for his side’s World Cup debut against Spain because “it’s impossible to run for 90 minutes” in an unexpectedly hot, dry German summer.
Too bad the Spaniards ran and sparkled, humiliating Ukraine 4-0.
Even Blokhin acknowledged there was no excuse. But Vladislav Vashchuk, a defender who was sent off in the 47th-minute, reportedly found one: Loud frogs near the team hotel that kept the players awake the night before the match.
Some Ukraine players were so upset they threatened to chase down the nuisances with their bare hands, the Ukrainian daily Donbas reported Thursday. Pity the Swedish team, which was under pressure to beat Paraguay in Berlin on Thursday after a disappointing goalless draw against Trinidad and Tobago.
Whoever booked them into a hotel on the capital’s party-prone Kurfuerstendamm boulevard may have speculated that Germany would lose their game against Poland the night before. The home team won, sending raucous, beer-fuelled German fans into the streets. In the morning, the Swedes told reporters the racket had kept them from sleeping.
Crisis side Togo lapsed into nasty squabbling after their opening 2-1 loss to South Korea.
After the match, Togo federation general-secretary Assogbavi Komlam accused embattled coach Otto Pfister of being an alcoholic.
The German coach issued an outraged denial, saying he was a teetotaller and would bring the “defamation” before FIFA, the sport’s governing body. The Dutch also complained about Sahara-like grass in Leipzig, even after Arjen Robben scored the lone goal against Serbia-Montenegro with a speedy run down the allegedly slow field.
Costa Ricans Saddened by Team’s Ouster
In San Jose, Costa Rica, Fans were angry at the Ticos’ quick elimination from the World Cup on Thursday, and called for a new coach and a revamping of the team.
Costa Rica was thumped by Ecuador 3-0 in Hamburg, and following a 4-2 loss to Germany last Friday, could not advance from Group A. Costa Rica and Poland became the first teams eliminated from the 32-nation field.
San Jose’s streets were heartbroken and quiet as fans put away their national flags and returned to work.
