Almost anywhere you look on the streets of Germany, you see the face of German national team captain Michael Ballack on billboards or magazine covers. But you won’t see him on the field Friday.
Ballack suffered a calf injury in an exhibition against Colombia on June 2 and will miss the World Cup opener between Germany and Costa Rica.
The German team is on the short list of favorites to win the World Cup along with Brazil, Argentina, England and Italy. But without Ballack, the Germans are far from contenders. The host country has kept such a close eye on Ballack’s health, the German media have referred to his calf as “the country’s calf muscle.”
“We’ll leave him on the sidelines for this game and have him fit for the next one,” German coach Juergen Klinsmann said Thursday. “It’s annoying but not the end of the world.”
Costa Rica finished third in the CONCACAF qualifying standings and hopes to be the first team to beat the home country in the World Cup’s opening match, though for the last 36 years the defending champions had kicked off the tournament.
Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes is upset over the perception his team is the group’s weakest and has warned it should not be taken lightly.
“We have qualified for two straight World Cups,” Guimaraes said. “Taking that into account . . . [the German media] should not spit in the air.”
Ballack’s absence on the field Friday doesn’t mean Berlin’s Olympiastadion will be lacking stars. The opening ceremony will include more than 150 players from the last 17 World Cup champions from the game’s biggest legends, Pele and Diego Maradona, to members of the 2002 Brazil squad.
The ceremony will represent the Germany of old and new. Traditional Bavarian folk dancing will be followed by hip-hop and break dancing to represent Germany’s multi-cultural movement.
The world’s six FIFA zones will be represented during the festivities with costumes reflecting the different cultures.
Germany’s most famous soccer legend, Franz Beckenbauer, has traveled around the world three times visiting the 31 other participating nations in an effort to promote the tournament via its slogan, “A time to make friends.”
“This is the culmination of 13 or 14 years work,” Beckenbauer said on FIFA.com. “When I look back at everything we’ve fought for in that time, I have to say I’m delighted that it’s here.
“I’d like to watch all of [the matches] ideally, but with the best will in the world that won’t be possible.”
Beckenbauer has vowed to attend 48 of the 64 matches in 31 days, many via helicopter.
Because not everyone has a helicopter at their disposal–or tickets for that matter–FIFA will broadcast 56 of the matches live on big screens set up in each of the 12 host cities. These Fan Fest matches will be accompanied by musical acts including Bryan Adams and Simple Minds and are expected to attract 7 million to 8 million visitors.
Fellow Group A countries Poland and Ecuador will play after the Germany-Costa Rica match at Gelsenkirchen’s FIFA World Cup Stadium.
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larroyave@tribune.com
