The Hindu : Sport : `Teamgeist Berlin' balls unveiled

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 08, 2006

Sport

Sport

`Teamgeist Berlin' balls unveiled

BERLIN : The golden balls are ready for Sunday's World Cup final.

Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer handed Chancellor Angela Merkel one of the special golden `Teamgeist Berlin' balls at a ceremony in the German capital on Thursday.

"With this, we can enter the final phase of the World Cup," Merkel said, adding that Germany had been a "wonderful host" for the month-long event.

Italy and France will play Sunday's final with the golden ball, which, other than color, is identical to the black-and-white "Teamgeist" ball used throughout the World Cup.

Fifteen of the balls are being provided for the final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Merkel's copy is destined for an exhibition on soccer at the chancellery.

Shot deficient

Franz Beckenbauer, who won World Cups as a Germany captain and as a coach, said the reason there's been fewer goals scored in this tournament than in the previous two is simple: players aren't taking enough shots.

"It's elementary. If you don't have shots at goal, there can't be goals," he said. "After the World Cup, we'll analyse things and we'll discuss the low goal average — we'll evaluate and see what can be done.

"This ball has enormous acceleration — the players have got this weapon, the ball, yet not enough has been done with it."

Colour clash

French coach Raymond Domenech doesn't want his team's colours to clash.

A man who pays intricate attention to detail, he feels about the outfits Les Bleus wear. Either it is all-blue, the traditional colour of Les Bleus or all-white, their away outfit.

"I love teams that play in one, united colour. It is symbolic," he said, expressing his dislike for uniforms that have shorts in one colour, jerseys in another and socks in a third.

For Sunday's World Cup final, France will be all-white against the all-blue of Italy's Azzurri.

Loyalty

Jens Lehmann's loyalty at this World Cup has been strictly with the German national team. Until now. The Arsenal goalkeeper's ties showed on Thursday when he said he hoped Arsenal captain and French striker Thierry Henry would win the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's top player.

"If you have shared a locker room with Henry for three years you would wish him luck because you would realise what a pro he is," Lehmann said.

But Lehmann said he would also be cheering for German team-mate Miroslav Klose, also shortlisted, and the tournament scoring leader with five goals.

"I would definitely be happy for Miro. He played a wonderful World Cup," Lehmann said. "It's a case of split loyalties and I can't say publicly who I really hope will win."

Klose said if he had to pick a non-German for the award, he'd choose French midfielder Zinedine Zidane. "He's a great player and great strategist. He puts the ball right into his forwards' feet. It would be a great way to bid farewell to his international career," Klose said. — AP

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