The Hindu : Sport / Football : Beckenbauer confident

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

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Beckenbauer confident

Munich: Franz Beckenbauer is so confident of the preparations for the World Cup that he insists the event could start immediately.

"With the exception of a few little problems, we are nearly finished. We could start tomorrow," said the former World Cup winner, who is the president of the organising committee.

The finals kick off on June 9 and run until July 9.

Around 500,000 euros per stadium will be spent on the final touches for the grounds between May 25 and May 29, he said.

Meanwhile, Beckenbauer said in an interview in Berlin on Friday that Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann should be replaced if the team exits the World Cup early.

"If he and his team are ejected from the tournament early, if their performance is disappointing ... then (his position) would be unsustainable," he told ARD radio.

Beckenbauer suggested the German Football Association (DFB) should have a replacement for Klinsmann "on the back-burner" in case the coach no longer continued in his position after the month-long tournament, which begins in Germany on June 9.

A soccer icon in Germany, Beckenbauer has been one of Klinsmann's most vociferous critics, repeatedly questioning his tactics and commitment to the job.

Klinsmann himself has said his future as coach depends on whether or not the team is successful and has resisted DFB's efforts to extend his two-year contract beyond the World Cup. — Agencies

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