German coach Joachim Löw and Michael Ballack have corrected their differences in a meeting at the DFB headquarters on Thursday. The conflict had orginated following an openly critical interview by the Chelsea player. During the non-public meeting, Löw and his captain succeeded in establishing a new foundation for their continued team work and collaboration.
The currently injured German captain Michael Ballack (89 caps) was given permission by FC Chelsea to travel to Germany. He returned to London Thursday night. On Friday, Ballack said: "I admit that it was not correct to seek the public and I regret, that some people got the impression that I had intended to criticize Joachim Löw in his position as the German coach. I have given Joachim Löw my apologies. He is the German coach. He will make all the decisions, and we have to accept them. Following our talk, I look forward to returning to the national team, where we will enjoy a positive atmosphere. I feel sure that we will reach our goals."
Joachim Löw stressed on Friday: "We had a frank and open talk, which was important. Michael Ballack continues to be my captain. But even a captain has to conform to certain rules. He knows perfectly well, that he’s free to address every issue internally. But the final decisions are made by our coaching staff, including issues regarding the playing personal. I have made that very clear to Michael. And I feel very good about the outcome of our talks, as we have kept an outstanding player, who had a major role in our recent successes, on our team. Now we will work very hard to reach our goals on the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup."
Both sides agreed not to reveal any more details of the Thursday meeting.
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German coach Joachim Löw and Michael Ballack have corrected their differences in a meeting at the DFB headquarters on Thursday. The conflict had orginated following an openly critical interview by the Chelsea player. During the non-public meeting, Löw and his captain succeeded in establishing a new foundation for their continued team work and collaboration.
The currently injured German captain Michael Ballack (89 caps) was given permission by FC Chelsea to travel to Germany. He returned to London Thursday night. On Friday, Ballack said: "I admit that it was not correct to seek the public and I regret, that some people got the impression that I had intended to criticize Joachim Löw in his position as the German coach. I have given Joachim Löw my apologies. He is the German coach. He will make all the decisions, and we have to accept them. Following our talk, I look forward to returning to the national team, where we will enjoy a positive atmosphere. I feel sure that we will reach our goals."
Joachim Löw stressed on Friday: "We had a frank and open talk, which was important. Michael Ballack continues to be my captain. But even a captain has to conform to certain rules. He knows perfectly well, that he’s free to address every issue internally. But the final decisions are made by our coaching staff, including issues regarding the playing personal. I have made that very clear to Michael. And I feel very good about the outcome of our talks, as we have kept an outstanding player, who had a major role in our recent successes, on our team. Now we will work very hard to reach our goals on the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup."
Both sides agreed not to reveal any more details of the Thursday meeting.
