Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has named Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink as the man he would most like to see in charge of his club next season.
The Bavarians are searching for a new coach after sacking Jurgen Klinsmann on Monday.
Jupp Heynckes was appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season, but a new man must be found who "earns the respect of the players," according to chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
That man, according to Beckenbauer, would be Hiddink, although the Kaiser knows he is unavailable.
"I hope we can get a coach who is somewhere in the class of Guus Hiddink," he told the Bild newspaper.
Candidates are already emerging with former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini, ex-Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and the out-of-work Frank Rijkaard and Bernd Schuster believed to be in the frame.
Armin Veh and Mirko Slomka are options from within Germany while a return of Felix Magath, who could lead Wolfsburg to the title this season, is not out of the question.
However, since Klinsmann and his coaching team can expect a large pay-off following their dismissal yesterday, Bayern are unlikely to go for a coach who is already employed elsewhere.
Therefore, the internal option of former Bayern favourite Mehmet Scholl together with the club's reserve team coach Hermann Gerland could be preferred, and this has already been given the fans' seal of approval.
The Bayern fans called for the pair during Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Schalke and that duo would present the cheapest, and perhaps most respected option, which Beckenbauer claims is crucial.
"We thought he (Klinsmann) would have a bonus thanks to what he did at the World Cup, but there were many fans who were against him from the very first day," said Beckenbauer.
"We under-estimated the effect of this atmosphere against him."
(CNN) -- German champions Bayern Munich have sacked coach Jurgen Klinsmann and appointed the experienced Jupp Heynckes as his replacement for the final five games of the Bundesliga season.
Klinsmann's fate was sealed after Bayern Munich's 1-0 home defeat by Schalke on Saturday.
Klinsmann's fate was sealed after a meeting with club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, general manager Uli Hoeness and director Karl Hopfner on Monday morning.
The 44-year-old took charge of Bayern last July, after leading an unfancied Germany side to the 2006 World Cup semifinals on home soil.
However, despite taking the club to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, he has been dismissed after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Schalke left the club three points adrift of league leaders Wolfsburg.
Saturday's defeat, following the 5-1 Champions League aggregate reverse to Barcelona, and elimination by Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup, has proved he final straw for the club's board, eager to ensure qualification for next season's Champions League.
A statement on the Bavarian club's official Web site confirmed the decision: "The board have informed Jurgen Klinsmann that we have decided to end our co-operation. This also applies to the assistant coaches Martin Vasquez and Nick Theslof.
"The board has seen the minimum aim for the season come under threat with our recent results and has therefore decided to take this step. The board thanks Jurgen Klinsmann and his coaching team for their work and wish them all the best for the future."
Klinsmann also issued a statement on the official Web site saying: "Of course, I am very disappointed at the moment. Nevertheless, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Bayern Munich, the fans, the coaches, the players and my colleagues for an exciting time. We have laid the foundations for the future. I still believe that the team can be German champions this season."
Talking about the decision, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "We did not come to this decision lightly. But the results of the past weeks, the way in which they came about and above all, the situation we find ourselves in five games before the end of the season forced us to act out of a sense of responsibility to the club.
"In Jupp Heynckes and Hermann Gerland, we have two experienced coaches who will take over the running of the team until the end of the season."
Klinsmann signed a two-year contract when he joined the club last July, his first-ever domestic coaching role.
However, despite remaining in the hunt for the Bundesliga for the majority of the season, there have been many un-Bayern like moments for the club's supporters to endure. The first signs of trouble came last September when Werder Bremen embarrassed Bayern 5-2 in front of their own fans at Munich's Allianz Arena.
The 4-2 German Cup defeat by Leverkusen in March was another low-point, as was the 5-1 hammering at league leaders Wolfsburg earlier this month.
Klinsmann's replacement Heynckes has already successfully coached Bayern, winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles in 1989 and 1990 in his first coaching stint in Munich between 1987 and 1991.
He then coached Athletic Bilbao between 1992 and 1994, Eintracht Frankfurt and Tenerife before moving to Real Madrid where he delivered the Champions League to the Spanish giants in 1998 after a 32-year wait.
A lack of domestic success saw him replaced at the Bernabeu and he had brief stints at Benfica and a return to Athletic Bilbao before heading back to the Bundesliga as coach of Schalke in June 2003.
In June 2006, he was appointed coach of Borussia Moenchengladbach but stepped down after a dreadful run of results that saw the team drop to 17th place in the table after 14 consecutive games without a win.
[CNN]
Bayer Leverkusen scored three goals in extra time to overcome plucky second division side Mainz 4-1 and reach the German Cup final on Tuesday.
Goals from Arturo Vidal, Simon Rolfes and Michal Kadlec finally broke the sprit of the underdogs who had struck a late equaliser through Arisitide Bance to force the extra period.
In the May 30 final at the Berlin Olympic stadium Leverkusen, Cup winners in 1993, will face Hamburg SV or Werder Bremen who meet in the last four on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga side, who briefly led the standings before dropping to ninth place after one win in their last eight league games, had to work hard against a disciplined Mainz defence.
But the visitors, third in the second tier and fighting for promotion, ran out of steam allowing Leverkusen to cling on to the hope of playing in the Europa League next season.
"We showed great character out there," Leverkusen coach Bruno Labbadia told ARD television. "The team did well. We wore the opponents down."
It took Leverkusen 20 minutes to carve out a chance through striker Patrick Helmes, who struck a low close-range shot that sailed across goal and just wide of the far post.
Mainz defended well and striker Bance, who got the winner against Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals, was a constant threat.
But in the final quarter of the match Leverkusen poured forward and substitute Angelos Haristeas struck what looked to be the winner in the 82nd minute when the Greece striker tapped home a poor clearance by goalkeeper Dimo Wache.
However, Bance levelled two minutes from time when he headed in Milorad Pekovic's cross to take the game into extra time.
Chilean Vidal put Leverkusen back in front in the second minute of extra time with a close range effort and midfielder Rolfes then flicked in a Manuel Friedrich header to make it 3-1.
Michal Kadlec completed the rout after a fine solo run in the 117th minute.
"It was a hard win but we enjoyed ourselves. We had fun doing it and now we get to travel to Berlin," said Haristeas.
[Soccernet]
| Number: | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| Date/place of birth: | 13.03.1989 in Gradiška/Bosnien-Herzegowina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 1,69 m | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 64 kg | ||||||||||||||||
| Club: | Werder Bremen | ||||||||||||||||
| Former clubs: | Borussia Mönchengladbach | ||||||||||||||||
| Position: | Mittelfeld | ||||||||||||||||
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| Number: | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Date/place of birth: | 15.01.1985 in Leipzig | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 1,91 m | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 85 kg | ||||||||||||||||
| Club: | Bayer Leverkusen | ||||||||||||||||
| Former clubs: | VfB Leipzig | ||||||||||||||||
| Position: | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| National team debut: | October 11, 2008 in Dortmund against Russia (2-1) | ||||||||||||||||
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Brazilian striker Grafite scored twice including a late winner as VfL Wolfsburg beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Saturday to maintain their three-point lead in the Bundesliga.
Champions Bayern Munich, in second place with 54 points, edged hosts Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 thanks to a second half Luca Toni header to stay in the hunt with six matches remaining.
Wolfsburg went ahead in the 23rd minute when the league's top scorer Grafite scored with a penalty after he was brought down by Manuel Friedrich.
Minutes later Zvjezdan Misimovic, who has been a crucial part of coach Felix Magath's offensive engine, set up the Brazilian with a defence-splitting 20-metre pass but Grafite failed to beat Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler.
The visitors stepped up a gear in the second half and quickly levelled through Toni Kroos when he fired home from inside the box.
They then missed a bagful of chances through Patrick Helmes and Renato Augusto, and hit the woodwork through Simon Rolfes with Wolfsburg seemingly overwhelmed, before Misimovic again set up Grafite to slot past Adler in the 85th minute.
Grafite's second goal took his tally to 22 and extended his team's winning run to 10 successive games, matching Borussia Moenchengladbach's record for most consecutive wins in one season dating back to the 1986/87 season.
"We were lucky to concede only one goal," Magath told reporters. "You could see the team was ready to fight but also not used to being at the top of the table.
"We laboured to victory last week, again today, and we will also surely have a hard job next week," said the former Bayern coach, who has avoided any talk of a championship.
BAYERN IN TITLE HUNT
Bayern, who had hoped for a Wolfsburg slip-up, started well and had a good chance but Toni, unmarked in front of goal, failed to connect with a well-placed Jose Sosa cross.
Arminia, who defended surprisingly well in the first half, came even closer when striker Artur Wichniarek shook off defender Martin Demichelis to float in a cross for Robert Tesche.
Bayern keeper Joerg Butt made a stunning reflex save to keep out the header.
The 15th-placed team collapsed in the second half and were lucky to concede only one goal when Bayern attacked in waves, missing chance after chance mainly through Franck Ribery, Hamit Altintop and Toni.
"These were three extremely important points," Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "There are another 18 points out there and we need to get most of them to move past Wolfsburg."
VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez scored a hat-trick against Cologne to give his team a 3-0 win that lifted them over Hertha Berlin and Hamburg, who both play on Sunday, into third place with 51 points.
Borussia Dortmund made it four wins in a row with a 2-0 win over VfL Bochum.
Hamburg, also on 51 points, play Hanover 96 on Sunday, while Hertha, fifth on 49, host Werder Bremen.
German clubs are still a long way behind the European pace-setters from England and Spain, according to Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel.
He was powerless to prevent his team from exiting the Champions League after a 1-1 draw against Barcelona was not enough to prevent a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
And the former Barca midfielder claimed there is still too big a gulf between German and Spanish football.
"I am not criticising German football when I say that football in Spain is a lot better,'' he said. "It is all down to the money. I think if the team which is 18th in the Bundesliga came up against the side which is 18th in Spain, the German club would not win very often.''
Van Bommel, who was part of the Barcelona team which won the Champions League in 2006, is in a good enough position to make such a judgment.
He also knows what it takes to get to where Barcelona are, but remains sceptical of Bayern achieving it.
"They are the best team in the world,'' he said. "They are playing so well and can win three titles this year. All you need is one bad game against them and it results in a catastrophe. We were out after the first leg.
"It is difficult to get to the same level as Barcelona.''
Chelsea will have to do that in the semi-final if they are to make it to a second successive Champions League final, but the 2006 champions are certainly no pushover.
"They are the best team in world football at club level and I think we have seen that,'' admitted Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "They are a great example of where you can get with one or two contacts of the ball.
"We have learnt a lesson from them and know we have to improve next year.
Pep Guardiola's assistant coach Tito Vilanova, who stood in for the suspended head coach last night, was humble about his side's victory, claiming they have "achieved nothing yet''.
The Blaugrana still have the chance of winning a league, cup and Champions League treble this season and it is a measure of their determination to succeed on all three fronts that Vilanova was reluctant to talk about the semi-final with Chelsea.
"First of all, we have got to think of the league,'' he said. "The time to think about the semi-final will come, but now we are focusing on the game with Getafe because we want to maintain or increase our lead at the top of La Liga.
"Each three days, we have a game which is crucial for our future. It will not be easy, but if our players remain physically fit, it will be far easier to win at least one title.''
Bayern Munich are faced with a season-saving rescue mission to defend their Bundesliga title following Tuesday's exit from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
With seven matches remaining, the German champions are three points behind leaders Wolfsburg and coach Juergen Klinsmann said every game was now a final after their 1-1 home draw against Barcelona consigned Bayern to a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
Klinsmann, who saw his team eliminated from the German Cup and thrashed 4-0 in Barcelona within the space of a month, knows failure to win the title could also spell the end of his coaching career at Bayern after only a season.
"These seven league matches are finals for us. We have to get points, points, points," Klinsmann told reporters. "We have to get maximum points and I still believe we will win the championship."
Fans booed the coach again on Tuesday, chanting former manager Ottmar Hitzfeld's name and held aloft banners with "Klinsmann raus" (Klinsmann out) written on them.
"Of course such a situation is not comfortable," the coach said after the match. "But I understand that after the 4-0 in the first leg people are angry."
However, it was not just the first leg defeat that has sparked the fans' anger this season.
Bayern's erratic displays, including a 5-1 loss to Wolfsburg 10 days ago, their demolition by Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup and poor Bundesliga form have added to speculation that even if Klinsmann won the title he would still be axed.
Club president Franz Beckenbauer, who has not been one of Klinsmann's staunchest supporters, tried to take some pressure off his coach.
"I would not be angry if we did not win the Bundesliga after this year of confusion," Beckenbauer said after the match. "But we need the Champions League (qualification)."
His words may well be the first indirect admission that Bayern would settle for second place and a Champions League spot to at least assure their finances are not hit as hard as their on-pitch performances.
Any discussion about Klinsmann's future would come at the end of the season, Beckenbauer added.
(Reuters)
A stoppage time goal by striker Mario Gomez gave hosts VfB Stuttgart a 1-0 win against Hamburg SV on Sunday and revived their hopes for a European spot.
The defeat left Hamburg in third place, level on 51 points with Bayern Munich who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 on Saturday. Stuttgart moved to within a point of fourth-placed Hertha Berlin who are on 49 points.
Vfl Wolfsburg still top the standings with 54 points after defeating lowly Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on Saturday.
Stuttgart were the more aggressive side and deserved the win, while Hamburg looked tired after their mid-week 3-1 win against Manchester City in the UEFA Cup.
In the only other match of the day Bayer Leverkusen lost ground in their bid to claim a European spot when they drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen. They dropped to ninth place on 42 points.
(Reuters)
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has assured coach Jurgen Klinsmann of his job, even if they follow the loss against Wolfsburg last weekend with defeat by Barcelona on Wednesday night.
Wolfsburg, managed by the former Bayern coach Felix Magath, trounced the defending champions 5-1 on Saturday to leave them in fourth position in the Bundesliga with eight games remaining.
That defeat turned up the pressure on Klinsmann, whose side have yet to make it to the top of the table all season and who has had a rough ride for his entire nine months in charge so far.
However, the Champions League has hitherto been his saving grace with Bayern commanding the best record of all the clubs in the competition so far with an unbeaten record.
But even if that were to end at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night, Klinsmann can sleep easily, according to Rummenigge.
"Nobody at FC Bayern is even contemplating such a scenario," he said. "To say that if we get hammered there then the coach is gone is not the way we do things."
Even if Bayern fail to win the Bundesliga this season, Rummenigge promises that Klinsmann will still be in charge next season.
"He has a contract so of course," he told the Bild newspaper. "I don't like giving intermediary assessments. We don't have any other plan."
Rummenigge hopes that Bayern are still in the running for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League after the first leg, but is not too concerned about the prospect of a heavy defeat at the Nou Camp.
He is counting on the atmosphere of the Allianz Arena and home advantage in the second leg to see Bayern through, whatever happens.
He said: "In Bern, there was a team on the field in 1954 which had just conceded eight goals and they still won the World Cup.
"We hope to get a result which can enable us to create a sensation in the second leg."
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten will miss his team's Champions League quarter-final because of personal reasons, the club said on Tuesday.
"The team left on Tuesday midday without Van Buyten for the match against Barcelona," the club said on their website.
Van Buyten is the second central defender to be ruled out, after Brazilian Lucio picked up a muscle injury in Bayern's 5-1 defeat against Wolfsburg on Saturday and will be out for several days.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann is expected to rely on Martin Demichelis and 19-year-old Brazilian Breno, but also brought in Holger Badstuber from the reserve team.
Van Buyten, who had travelled back to Belgium to deal with family affairs days ago, briefly returned to Munich but left again shortly before the team was set to fly out.
[Soccernet]
Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has signed a one-year extension to his contract with Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
The 39-year-old's current deal was due to expire in the summer, but he will now play on for another year.
''VfB (Stuttgart) are a well-run club with great fans and a positive environment,'' Lehmann said at a press conference on Friday.
''I enjoy playing here. I am looking forward to next season, but now we are concentrating on finishing the present campaign as successfully as possible.''
Lehmann had previously said his decision to play on depended on whether Stuttgart would be able to offer him European football next season.
With nine games of the season remaining, the 2007 Bundesliga champions sit just outside of the top five and are on course for a place in the inaugural Europa League.
Lehmann joined Stuttgart on a free transfer from Arsenal last summer, initially on a one-year deal.
Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro scored a hat-trick to steer Werder Bremen to a 4-1 win over Hanover 96 on Sunday.
Brazilian Diego added the other and missed a penalty after the visitors had levelled with a Jacek Krzynowek solo goal midway through the second half. Werder remain in 10th place on 35 points.
Pizarro was lucky to give the hosts the lead four minutes before halftime when his shot from 20 metres was deflected and flew over Hanover keeper Robert Enke.
Enke showed some of the skills that have made him first choice for Germany when he saved Diego's 61st-minute penalty.
The visitors seemed to turn the match when they equalised eight minutes later through Krzynowek, who dribbled past two defenders to calmly slot past Werder keeper Tim Wiese.
But in seven frantic minutes Werder struck three times with Diego first making amends for the missed penalty with a low close-range drive in the 77th, before Pizarro added another from two metres, three minutes later.
The Peruvian, on loan from Chelsea, scored his third six minutes from time when he chested down a Mesut Ozil cross from the left to fire home from about eight metres, taking his tally for the season to 15.
"We made our life difficult because we could have ended it with the penalty. We made it difficult and needed a bit longer,"Werder coach Thomas Schaaf said.
Seventh-placed Bayer Leverkusen also got maximum points with a 2-0 win at Cologne. Bayer, who still hope to qualify for European soccer next season, scored through Stefan Kiessling and Patrick Helmes with a penalty.
Borussia Moenchengladbach and last-placed Karlsruhe SC shared the points in a 0-0 draw.
VfL Wolfsburg climbed to the top of the table with 51 points on Saturday after an impressive 5-1 demolition of champions Bayern Munich, who dropped to fourth on 48 points.
Hamburg SV edged past Hoffenheim 1-0 to join Wolfsburg on top although with an inferior goal difference. Hertha Berlin dropped to third on 49 points after their 3-1 defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann admitted Saturday's 5-1 defeat to Wolfsburg had dented morale ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final in Barcelona.
The defending Bundesliga champions fell to their biggest defeat in seven years against the new league leaders to fall three points off the pace at the top and once again miss the chance to rise to the summit for the first time all season.
But more importantly, it was the worst possible preparation for a tricky trip to Spain this week.
"This defeat hurts, also in view of the game in Barcelona," admitted Klinsmann. "To fly back to Munich on the back of a result like this is anything but comfortable."
However, Klinsmann promises his side will bounce back immediately because a similar defeat on Wednesday would leave them with little chance of reaching the last four of the Champions League.
"We have got to look forwards and move up a gear as quickly as possible," he said.
"Of course we will discuss the errors we have made, but we will be focusing our attention on Barcelona.
"We are all professionals and part of that means we must lift ourselves, even after a hammering.
"We will get up again and play a good game in Barcelona."
Indeed, Bayern's form in Europe this season will give them confidence, despite yesterday's crushing defeat.
They defeated Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate in the last round while they boasted the best record of all 16 qualifiers from the group stage.
A positive result at the Nou Camp would also enable them to rediscover self-confidence ahead of next weekend's Bundesliga clash with Frankfurt.
"All is not lost," added Klinsmann. "There are still enough games to play, but certainly the atmosphere is anything but good. We have got to digest this."
Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath earned one of the sweetest victories of his managerial career against the club who fired him despite winning back-to-back league and cup doubles, yet he still refused to talk about the title.
The Wolves have now won eight consecutive Bundesliga matches and have dropped only two points in 13 home games, but not even securing a place in the Champions League is on Magath's mind.
"Our aim is still to secure fifth position," he said.
Highlights from the game available here.
Germany won the game 2-0.
>> Highlights: Wales vs. Germany
Germany took another ominous step towards South Africa 2010 but at least Wales' youngsters were not humiliated.
Wales boss John Toshack can at least be thankful for that small mercy after the soul-searching which followed Saturday's embarrassing home defeat to Finland.
But the points in World Cup Group Four were always heading to a Germany side which was never stretched.
Michael Ballack blasted home an early 30-yarder to set the tone for the night at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, with the unlucky Ashley Williams scoring an own goal for Germany's second.
It could have been more but at least Wales showed spirit and fight and regained some of their lost pride.
Toshack made five changes from the side which lost so miserably to Finland.
He lost skipper Craig Bellamy earlier today with a recurrence of his knee problem, while Jason Koumas was out with a hip problem.
Elsewhere he axed Chris Gunter, Carl Fletcher and David Edwards, bringing in Sam Ricketts following suspension, Ashley Williams, Robert Earnshaw, Sam Vokes and Aaron Ramsey, for his full debut.
Germany made just one change from the side which beat Liechtenstein, Simon Rolfes taking over from Marcell Jansen (flu).
Wales were captained by Simon Davies in Bellamy's absence with a totally reconstructed side around the Fulham man.
Germany did not need any help from the officials but that was precisely what happened after just 11 minutes when Ballack unleashed a swerving drive from 30 yards that crashed into the top corner past Wayne Hennessey.
However, that came from Germany being allowed to take a throw on the left that was clearly a Wales ball. Neither linesman or referee Terje Hauge reacted and the ball was instantly fed to the Chelsea man to score.
Half a dozen Wales players complained bitterly to the Norwegian referee, but to no avail.
To their credit Wales side were running and fighting for every ball as the Germans' passing game threatened to overrun them.
And they were getting forward. Ramsey, 18, up against Ballack in midfield, was looking for space and trying to keep possession of the ball and had two efforts on goal charged down on the edge of the box.
And Wales had a decent chance to equalise after 21 minutes. Ricketts crossed from the right, Vokes headed down and Earnshaw saw his close-range effort blocked by Robert Enke.
Joe Ledley then surged into the box to be brought down by Serdar Tasci, the defender looking to handle the ball as he fell.
Germany's menace increased and Hennessey plunged to his left to keep out a 20-yarder from Thomas Hitzlsperger after a tapped free-kick. Then Mario Gomez drove just wide from outside the box.
Hennessey saved superbly from a fierce shot from Lukas Podolski, the Germans looking dangerous every time they came forward.
But Wales were showing spirit and when Gareth Bale lifted a free-kick into the box, James Collins rose to head narrowly wide.
After an encouraging first half Wales did not need a stroke of bad luck just three minutes into the second period.
But that is what happened.
Collins had held up Gomez on the right and looked to have run the ball out but the Stuttgart striker kept the ball in.
His low cross to the near post was then stabbed past Hennessey by Williams' out-stretched boot for Germany's second.
Gunter came on for the limping Ricketts after 53 minutes, with Wales going close three minutes later as Earnshaw controlled the ball well in the box, turned away from Tasci and forced Enke into a fine save to his right.
Ched Evans took over up front for the hard-working Vokes after 62 minutes.
Germany sent on Piotr Trochowski for Podolski, with Wales replacing Lewin Nyatanga with David Cotterill, but the game was over with the visitors toying with their hosts at times.
Rolfes was booked for a foul on Ramsey before Heiko Westermann replaced the Bayer Leverkusen defender. Germany sent on Patrick Helmes for Bastian Schweinsteiger with four minutes to go.
Wales boss John Toshack blasted Norwegian referee Terje Hauge after his side's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Toshack claimed Germany's first goal was a "ridiculous decision that you would not see in Cardiff park football."
He said: "The first goal was a ridiculous decision, the throw was for Wales and the linesman had given it.
"Aaron Ramsey was trotting across to take it from an area of the midfield where Ballack was waiting so when the ball was passed by Ballack, Ramsey was not in any position to defend against him.
"As for the handball, it was a penalty and should have been a red card. If that had happened it may not have been so easy for Germany.
"The referee produced decisions you would not see on Llandaff (Cardiff) playing fields in park football.''
Toshack added: "Mind you, whether we would have scored a penalty is another matter, we have missed three already in this campaign, but that is not the point.
"It is tough enough playing against one of the best sides in the world without getting those decisions from the referee, we didn't deserve that.
"As for the performance, and considering we lost our captain Craig Bellamy with a knee injury, I can't have asked for more from my team against such a top team."
Bellamy returned to Manchester today for treatment and Toshack added: "It has flared up again, he felt it in training yesterday.
"We waited until today to see if it had improved but Craig was still complaining about it today.
"He has gone back for treatment and he should be fit for Manchester City's UEFA Cup game against Hamburg shortly."
Toshack also lost midfielder Jason Koumas before the game, seemingly with a hip injury that has been worrying him since Christmas.
But there was also speculation that the Wigan man was unhappy with criticism of him from Toshack in the build up to the Finland game at the weekend and it is understood that the pair held discussions yesterday.
After Germany's second win in five days, manager Joachim Low said: "It was extremely important that we won these two games.
"We now have 16 points from 18 in this group with four games left. That means I am absolutely content with the situation."
Low also played down an on-pitch row between Ballack and Lukas Podolski that needed to be ended by the referee in the second half.
Low said: "I have not had the chance to talk to them about it, but if a captain gives out orders on the pitch it is the duty of any players to carry them out."
With only Hamburg’s Marcell Jansen missing, the German team had a final practice session in Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium Tuesday evening. The DFB-squad faces hosts Wales in an important World Cup qualification game tonight (8.45 P.M., live on ARD).
Jansen (29 caps), who had scored his second international goal in a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein on Saturday, suffered flu symptoms and – as a precaution – stayed behind in the team hotel.
Bundestrainer Joachim Löw expects a highly competitive game. “Wales will give us a great battle. We all know about the importance of this game”, said Löw, who also advised his players that they will need to wear down their opponents. Löw spoke about a “battle of attrition”. Löw said: “Wales’ chances to qualify are only theoretical at this point, but they still are a highly dangerous adversary at this point. They are with their backs up against the wall.”
The two teams have met 16 times so far, with Germany registering eight wins, six ties and two losses. On October 15, 2008, Germany won 1-0 on a goal by Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger Sportverein) , his first ever wearing the black and white. Under Löw’s reign, Germany has won 25 of 36 games, with five games ending in a tie. Lukas Podolski (FC Bayern München) would enter the all-time top ten list, if he scores two goals against Wales. So far, Podolski has scored 32 goals in 61 games for Germany.
Norwegian Terje Hauge will referee the game at Millenium stadium.
