Klinsmann critic to head revived Task Force

Juergen Klinsmann's leading critic will head up a reconvened Task Force under a plan to support the Germany coach and avoid further public rows ahead of the World Cup.

Uli Hoeness, the Bayern Munich manager who has been fiercely critical of Klinsmann, was named spokesman for the seven-man Task Force after talks between the coach and representatives of the Bundesliga's leading clubs yesterday.

German soccer chiefs set up a similar Task Force to help revive the team following a poor showing at Euro 2000.

The talks were called after a spectacular flare-up of criticism directed at Klinsmann in recent weeks.

"It was a lively discussion," Klinsmann said after the two-hour meeting yesterday.

"We had a good exchange of views.

"I was grateful for the advice and the occasionally emotional words."

The coach has been under fire for programming fitness tests for players during the season, for continuing to rotate goalkeepers Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann and, above all, for continuing to live in California.

Klinsmann insisted again he would not move back to Germany but he did say he might spend more time in the country if necessary.

The coach also ruled out abandoning his goalkeeping policy, saying no.2 keeper Lehmann would play in the next match away to France in November, as in the original plan.

Dieter Hoeness, brother of Uli and manager of Hertha Berlin, will also join the group along with Bundesliga president Werner Hackmann and representatives from VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund.

Klinsmann inspired an immediate improvement after taking over from Rudi Voeller following Euro 2004 and the team continued to play well as they finished third at the Confederations Cup.

Performances since then have been disappointing, however, particularly a 2-1 defeat away to Turkey and a drab 1-0 win over China in the last two games.

As hosts, Germany are automatically qualified for the World Cup, which begins on June 9 in Munich and finishes in Berlin on July 9.

Only three per cent of Germans interviewed for a magazine poll this month said they believed their team would win the tournament.