Joachim Loew

Ex-Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi is hoping his recent good performances for Schalke 04 will help convince national coach Joachim Loew to select the rebel forward for next year's World Cup. "The question for me is: how can I manage to change another person's opinion?" Kuranyi told football magazine 11 Freunde. "This is not just about coach of the national team Loew and the player Kuranyi and I hope that I one day I will get a new chance." The chances of Kuranyi being on the plane to South Africa for next summer's World Cup are slim after he walked out at half-time of Germany's ... Read Full Story

Germany's stars are set to use video conferencing in their bid to win the World Cup title for a fourth time as coach Joachim Loew looks to keep an eye on his players' preparations. German daily Handelsblatt reported in Friday's edition that the German Football Federation (DFB) have ordered six video conferencing systems to be installed at their main centre in Frankfurt plus in the offices of their coaches and team managers. The system will, for example, allow stars like Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose, who all live in Munich, to discuss training and tactics with Loew who lives in Freiburg - ... Read Full Story

Captain Michael Ballack will miss Germany's World Cup warm-up clash on Wednesday against the Ivory Coast as the Chelsea star has failed to recover from a minor knee injury, coach Joachim Loew said. "We can definitely say that Michael Ballack will not play on Wednesday," Loew told reporters on Monday. "He has an infection in the back of the knee and there has been a reaction," the coach said. "After consultation with the doctors - I also spoke to Michael Ballack this morning - I have decided that he will not play. He needs maybe two or three days of rest," the coach continued. ... Read Full Story

Captain Michael Ballack believes there is a strong chance Germany will reach the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the national team's new shirt was unveiled on Tuesday. Three stars above the German Football Federation's (DFB) logo signifies Germany have won the World Cup in 1954, 1974 and 1990, but Ballack says the new shirt is extra motivation for his side to reach the final on July 11. The new shirt is a return to the traditional style with the colours black, red and gold, of the German flag, in thin stripes running down the predominantly white shirt. "The new ... Read Full Story

Germany is in shock after football star Robert Enke committed suicide by throwing himself under a train, with his wife revealing on Wednesday she had desperately tried to lift him out of depression. The 32-year-old Hanover goalkeeper was set to play for Germany at next summer's World Cup in South Africa, but he took his life on Tuesday evening after suffering with depression for six years. As a mark of respect, the German Football Federation (DFB) has cancelled Saturday's friendly against Chile in Cologne, although the match against the Ivory Coast on November 18 looks set to go ahead. Enke was not selected for ... Read Full Story