Image: Toni Kroos (right) and Thomas Müller. GES-Sportfoto
German coach Joachim Löw has nominated 26 players for the upcoming international match against Argentina (Wednesday, March 3). Leverkusen’s Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller from Bayern München have been called up for the first time.

Müller had been on the list for last year’s A-team game against the Ivory Coast, but had then played for the U 21-juniors. Löw said: “Both Kroos and Müller have shown solid performances in the Bundesliga for months, so they deserve this chance in the national team. We had invited them for our physical performance screening in Stuttgart last month, and now they have another opportunity to make an impression.”

As for the game against the two-time World Champions Argentina, Löw said: “On Wednesday, we’ll play our final game before we nominate the World Cup roster. With Argentina, we face a strong opponent, which demands our very best effort. We look forward to one of the classic matchups in modern-day football.” Löw went on to say: “We have decided to appoint more players than usual. Especially in a ‘World Cup season’, it’s vital to take a close look at all potential tournament players, and to have many …

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe

The German national team coached by Joachim Löw have drawn Turkey, the team they beat 3-2 in the semi-final at Euro 2008, for their Euro 2012 qualification campaign. The other opponents are 1980 European Championships finalists Belgium, neighbours Austria plus Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in Group A. The qualifiers are set to begin this September and finish in November 2011.

Fabio Capello’s England will face old rivals Wales. England have drawn John Toshack’s Wales side in Group G as well as Montenegro, Bulgaria and Switzerland for a place at Euro 2012.

Euro 2008 winners Spain, who beat Germany 1-0 to claim the Henri Delauney trophy in Vienna on June 29, 2008, face arguably their biggest test against the Czech Republic as well as Scotland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein in Group I.

Current World Cup holders Italy, who had a poor Euro 2008 campaign by their own standards, have drawn World Cup qualifiers Serbia, as well as Slovenia, Estonia, the Faroe Islands and Northern Ireland in Group C.

World Cup runners-up France, who had drawn the Republic of Ireland in Saturday’s practice draw, are up against Romania, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group D.

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Image: AFP

There were some strong words from Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer this week as the contract negotiation row continues to drag on.

German Football Federation (DFB) boss Theo Zwanziger insisted on Saturday he wants Joachim Löw to remain as coach of the national team, despite contract negotiations being suspended until after the World Cup this summer.

The extending of Löw’s contract, which is set to expire after the South Africa World Cup, had been declared a formality by both parties late last year before the surprise announcement this week that negotiations had been postponed.

But Zwanziger has made it clear he wants to keep Löw in charge after the World Cup and into the qualifiers for Euro 2012. “I will speak to Löw whether we have a successful World Cup campaign or not, he would always be my first point of contact.”

Löw will find out on Sunday who his side will meet in the qualifying for Euro 2012, which will be held in Poland and the Ukraine, but his main concern is still the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Löw’s coaching team, which includes team manager Oliver Bierhoff, are all in the negotiations, but Zwanziger says the …

(Photo: Bongarts/Getty Images)

Germany will have to contend with uncertainty in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa this summer after negotiations over the extension of Joachim Löw’s contract fell apart.

The negotiations over the German team coach’s contract extension have been postponed until after the World Cup finals, the German Football Federation (DFB) announced on Thursday.

The news comes as a surprise as both Löw and DFB president Theo Zwanziger had previously said the contract, which expires after the World Cup, was almost certain to be extended in the early months of 2010.

It had seemed certain that Löw would lead Germany all the way to the Euro 2012 qualification matches, with the draw set to be held in Warsaw on Sunday, but the stalled talks means his role is no longer assured. It seems Löw and Bierhoff complicated the talks at a late stage by introducing new demands for bonuses and asking that Bierhoff be given a veto over the choice of any future team coach.

“Fundamentally both sides want to continue working together, but over a few aspects we could not agree,” said Zwanziger in a statement after an emergency meeting of …

Thomas Hitzlsperger is leaving the Bundesliga to join Lazio.

The 27-year old midfielder began looking for another club after he lost his place in the starting line-up at Stuttgart. He signed a contract to the end of the current season with the two-time Italian champions.

Hitzlsperger was worried that a lack of playing time could jeopardize his place in Germany’s World Cup squad. “I’m looking forward to this new challenge. I had a great time here in Stuttgart, but by moving on, I hope to get more playing time than I did lately. With the 2010 South Africa World Cup in mind, time on the pitch is essential. It’s also a privilege to play in a top league abroad and I want to continue the tradition of Germans who played successfully in Italy.”

Hitzlsperger has six goals in 51 games for Germany. He won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart in 2007, scoring some key goals. He signed with Stuttgart in 2005 and had 20 goals in 125 Bundesliga games, following a three-year stint with Aston Villa, where he had received the nickname “The Hammer” because of his fierce shot. He’s expected to have his first practice in Rome on Tuesday.

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