German Roundup

Time running out for Leverkusen as games go on

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Time is running out for Bayer Leverkusen. Last year's Bundesliga runner-up faces a rough ride until the end of the season in its battle to avoid relegation. Next up is fellow struggler Kaiserslautern.

Kaiserslautern has closed its ranks finally under coach Erik Gerets and has pulled out of the relegation zone after staying undefeated nine straight games.

Leverkusen is only one place and one point above the danger zone and has a tough remaining schedule, including matches against Berlin, Stuttgart and Schalke among others.

The team has done little to stop its amazing slide, even after interim coach Thomas Hoerster took over one month ago.

Less than a year ago, Leverkusen played Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League. On Tuesday, it lost 2-0 at home to Inter Milan to get eliminated from the second group stage after losing all six matches.

"Last year we were in the final, now everything has turned around," said general manager Reiner Calmund. "Such is life, sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it's cloudy."

Leverkusen has missed a European competition only three times since 1987 and although it won't be in one next season, Calmund said the crisis won't last long.

"I promise, there won't be seven lean years," he said.

After finishing runner-up in three competitions last season, including the German Cup, Leverkusen will be lucky to escape relegation.

Players brought in to compensate for the departure of Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto to Bayern Munich haven't lived up to promise. Others have suffered long-term injuries. And others, like striker Oliver Neuville, who played well for Germany at the World Cup, went into inexplicable slumps.

In Kaiserslautern, Leverkusen can rely on a good record -- it hasn't lost to the "Red Devils" since 1995, winning nine of the last 12 matches.

But Kaiserslautern wants to extend its unbeaten streak.

"Nine games without defeat, we can add to that," said striker Vratislav Lokvenc.

While leader Bayern Munich could expect to extend its 13-point lead with what should be a relatively easy trip to Rostock, second-place Dortmund could have a trickier time in Bielefeld, which has picked up its game in recent weeks.

Rostock, on the other hand, has won only three of 13 matches at home.

In other matches Saturday, it was Schalke vs. 1860 Munich, Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen vs. Hannover, and Wolfsburg vs. Bochum.

On Sunday, Hertha Berlin plays Energie Cottbus and Stuttgart hosts Nuremberg.

Bundesliga officials said there was no reason to call off play despite military operations in Iraq.

"We are sticking to the recommendations of international sports federations, to keep on playing," said league spokesman Tom Bender. "There is no ground to cancel at this time, although security will be stepped up at stadiums."

There was at least one dissenting voice, from Moenchengladbach coach Ewald Lienen.

"I can't just pretend it's business as usual," said Lienen, who was a well-known peace activist during his playing career. "I really don't feel like talking about soccer today."

He said "all Germans should go on strike" and that the Bundesliga should follow suit.

Lienen also criticized UEFA for insisting on playing as scheduled, saying the European governing body had revealed its moral bankruptcy already in 2001, when it went on with the Champions League schedule despite the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Voeller picks striker Kuranyi in squad

The 21-year-old Kuranyi, who has scored 13 Bundesliga goals this season, is the only newcomer in the 20-man squad unveiled by coach Rudi Voeller on Thursday.

Stuttgart are third in the German league and fighting for a place in the Champions League. Kuranyi becomes their first German international since midfielder Heiko Gerber in 1999.

"Kevin has produced good performances lately and some excellent ones," said Voeller. "It is only logical he is in the team."

Voeller decided to leave out several seasoned players, notably strikers Oliver Neuville and Carsten Jancker, who are both in poor form.

Kuranyi is not the only young player in a squad featuring two other 21-year-olds, TSV 1860 Munich striker Benjamin Lauth and VfL Wolfsburg defender Tobias Rau, who have one cap each.

"The fact that we have three youngsters in the team is great news for German football," said Voeller.

Voeller is without Bayern Munich playmaker Michael Ballack, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Torsten Frings, who has taken over the playmaking duties at Borussia Dortmund since Czech Tomas Rosicky has been out injured, should be handed Ballack's usual role in central midfield.

Another notable absentee for the three-times world and European champions is Tottenham Hotspur wing back Christian Ziege, who is nursing a knee injury.

Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann returns after injury forced him out of Germany's last match, a 3-1 defeat by Spain in a friendly last month in Palma de Mallorca.

Germany are top of Group Five with six points from their two games. Lithuania are fourth in the five-team group with three points from three matches.

"We will be at home and we want to win but saying beforehand that we will play attractive football and score plenty of goals would not be sensible," said Voeller.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Jens Lehmann (Borussia Dortmund)

Defenders: Frank Baumann (Werder Bremen), Arne Friedrich, Marko Rehmer (both Hertha Berlin), Christoph Metzelder, Christian Woerns (Borussia Dortmund), Tobias Rau (VfL Wolfsburg)

Midfielders: Joerg Boehme (Schalke 04), Torsten Frings, Sebastian Kehl (both Borussia Dortmund), Dietmar Hamann (Liverpool), Jens Jeremies (Bayern Munich), Carsten Ramelow, Bernd Schneider (both Bayer Leverkusen)

Strikers: Fredi Bobic (Hanover 96), Paul Freier (VfL Bochum), Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern), Kevin Kuranyi (VfB Stuttgart), Benjamin Lauth (TSV 1860 Munich)

German clubs will bounce back, says Hitzfeld

MUNICH (Reuters) -- German clubs are better than their disastrous European campaign suggests and will bounce back next season, Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said on Thursday.

"Of course it's disappointing but the level of the German clubs is higher than what the results seem to show," Hitzfeld told reporters after a Bayern training session.

"I'm sure that Bayern will overturn the situation in Germany's favor next season," he added.

For the first time since the 1956-57 season there is no German representative -- including the old West and Eastern separated countries -- in the last eight of any European competition.

Bayern, who won the last of their four European Cups in 2001, disappeared from the Champions League in the first group stage while last season's finalists Bayer Leverkusen and German champions Borussia Dortmund failed to survive the second phase.

The last time there was no German club in the last eight of Europe's premier competition was 10 years ago.

The UEFA Cup also brought disappointment to German fans with VfB Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin disappearing in the fourth round.

Germany had sides in both European finals last season, Leverkusen losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League and Dortmund bowing to Feyenoord in the UEFA Cup.

"Everybody expects a German club to make the final but it can't always happen," said Hitzfeld, whose men are 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

FA turns down Rostock protest of 'invalid' goal

BERLIN (Reuters) -- The German Football Association (DFB) has turned down a protest by Hansa Rostock that their 3-1 Bundesliga defeat at Hanover 96 this month should not count because of an invalid goal.

Rostock argued that striker Mohammadou Idrissou's goal -- which gave Hanover a 2-1 lead just before halftime -- was invalid because referee Edgar Steinborn had blown his whistle just before Idrissou scored.

The DFB ruled there would be no re-match and the result would stand.

There was a similar incident in a 2-2 draw between TSV 1860 Munich and Karlsruhe SC in 1997. A Karlsruhe goal was ruled valid although the referee had blown his whistle just before.

TSV 1860 lodged a protest and the DFB first ordered a re-match before deciding, under pressure from world body FIFA, the result would stand.

"The situation is certainly a bit bizarre. But even if Mr. Steinborn did blow his whistle before the goal, the case would be identical to the TSV 1860 Munich vs. Karlsruhe SC game," DFB disciplinary committee chairman Rainer Koch said of Thursday's ruling.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.