WHEN things appear to be going swimmingly for Germany, you can rely on their eccentric goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, right, to cause a few ripples. Lehmann has claimed Arsenal may ban him from playing for Germany against Ireland on September 2 because he is forced to wear boots that cause him ‘massive problems’.
The Arsenal goalkeeper said he is still suffering from injuries that plagued him at the World Cup. Lehmann wore the national adidas boots in Wednesday’s 3-0 friendly win over Sweden, but says the issue has to be resolved before Germany’s European Championship qualifier against Ireland.
Under the terms of Germany’s sponsorship contract, players must wear boots made by adidas when playing for their country. Playing for Arsenal, Lehmann wears Nike boots and he also has a personal kit deal with the American sportswear giant.
Lehmann, however, insists the issue is about ‘health rather than finance’, saying he will play only in his own kit from now on.
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‘After one week of practice with Germany in May I had problems and played the full World Cup with the boots. I still have problems now,’ Lehmann said.
‘The only thing that was different from my club were the boots and that is not acceptable. Never again will I play in a different product than I do at Arsenal.’
Highbury sources say they would consider intervening in the row only as a last resort. Senior German players have also threatened a ‘shoe strike’ if the requirement to use adidas is not overturned. adidas say the German federation must resolve the issue.
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Bad news: Ballack’s nearly back
Not terribly good news for beleaguered Ireland supporters clinging onto the hope that Michael Ballack will miss the game in Stuttgart on September 2.
The German skipper played through injury in the World Cup and then picked up a hip injury in the 2-1 Community Shield defeat by Liverpool. Jose Mourinho said he would not play against Manchester City today, but suggested that he is close to a return.
‘There is hope but I don’t believe he can play (today). His improvement since last Sunday has been very small and he has not trained with the team.’
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Meanwhile, Steven Reid, below, who played for Blackburn at Portsmouth yesterday after recovering from an ankle injury he picked up against Holland, has a chance to get a taste of Ballack next Sunday when Chelsea visit Ewood Park.
Reid laughed off suggestions he might take care of Ballack before they meet in Stuttgart. ‘It will be great to come up against him at club level before I do with Ireland, providing we are both fit to play in the Premiership game. I relish the opportunity of a challenge against a player of Michael Ballack’s quality.’
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Fans applaud Duff’s switch
Damien Duff’s transfer from Chelsea to Newcastle may have left a few Ireland fans shaking their heads, but football supporters in Britain reckon Newcastle made a great acquisition.
In a poll of 13,000 listeners of Talksport, a British commercial radio station, 37% said that United’s £5m purchase of Duff from Chelsea was the best close-season signing. That was 10% more than the second best, Dimitar Berbatov’s £10.9m move from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham.
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Deery cheery after epic eight days
Take a bow, Kevin Deery, who on Friday completed four games in eight days by helping to guide Derry City to the top of the Eircom League with a 1-1 draw against Cork City.
The matches also included the small matter of a Uefa Cup qualifying match at Gretna, the 3-1 victory over St. Pat’s at the Brandywell last Sunday and the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21s’ 2-0 defeat of Greece in Athens in a European Championship qualifier on Wednesday. This week’s return leg against Gretna will appear like a walk in the park after all that.
‘It’s been a brilliant week,’ Deery said. ‘Four games without a defeat. It says a lot for the hunger of the lads that we got such a great result against St. Pat’s on the Sunday after Gretna.’
Deery, who scored two spectacular 30-yard efforts against Gretna in the 5-1 victory, says Derry would like to meet a Scandinavian club in the first round of the competition proper. ‘I think the result against Gothenburg showed that that style of play suits us and it would give us a good chance of making the group stages.’
Stubbs raises a glass to Jack’s hospitality
The TV presenter Ray Stubbs has been regaling all with tales of his travails at the World Cup and was delighted to find he could have a beer while washing his clothes in a Berlin launderette.
‘It reminded me of when Jack Charlton used to do his laundry in his room during the 1994 World Cup. Guinness would put a barrel in his room wherever he was in the USA. You would meet Jack in the hotel lobby and he would invite you to his bedroom, have a chat and have a Guinness while his socks were drying. Sven didn’t ask me to go to his room.’