Back to school for German greats

It is an elite club 8211; open only to players who have won at least 40 caps and who have played at either a World or a European Championship.

Among the list are Germany8217;s goal scoring hero from the 1990 World Cup victory over Argentina Andreas Brehme and his teammates from that triumph Jurgen Klinsmann, Guido Buchwald, Stefan Reuter and Jurgen Kohler while European champion Mathias Sammer and Bernd Holzenbein from the 1974 World Cup winners are also taking up the offer.

There are also two representatives of Germany8217;s world class women8217;s football team, Doris Fitschen and Bettina Wiegmann.

Joachim Low, currently coach of Second Division club Karlsruhe, and Andreas Zachhuber, coach of First Division Hansa Rostock, don8217;t meet the strict requirements but have been allowed to take part as exceptions because they are already working as professional coaches after getting special permission from the DFB.

Bulgarian International Krassimir Balakow, who plays for Bundesliga Club VFB Stuttgart, is also present thanks to a special co-operation agreement with his country8217;s football federation.

The first part of the course is training at the Hennef Sports Academy near Cologne until Friday. It will be completed by two further sessions from May 22 to June 9 and a further three days from June 13 to 16.

Instruction will include lectures on tactics, Sports medicine, motivation and leadership.

Normally participants in DBF8217;s training system need to attend 560 hours of practical and theoretical instruction to get their coaching licence but that has been more than halved to 240 hours for this elite crop of athletes.

It8217;s a unique idea got off the ground last year by DFB official Gero Bisanz. He put it to former striker Jurgen Klinsmann, who moved to California with his American wife and children after retiring at the end of the 1998 World Cup, who then pushed the idea with his colleagues.

8220;I think it8217;s a positive idea of the DFB to prepare players as coaches who have had a big influence on German football in the last 10 to 12 years,8221; Klinsmann said.

8220;We have been thinking about this for a while. It keeps the players integrated in the game because many are making the switch to the media and from there it8217;s easy to only criticise.8221;

Klinsmann no longer plays at professional level but keeps himself fit by occasionally training with US side Los Angeles Galaxy and sometimes watches college soccer games.

Mathias Sammer, who hasn8217;t played football since late 1997 and who is still undergoing daily physiotherapy to overcome a debilitating knee injury which seems to have ended his career, is only taking the theoretical course and skipping the practical.

The man to travel furthest is Pierre Littbarski, the former FC Cologne star, who flew in from Japan where he now lives.

A certain amount of envy has been generated among coaches and players excluded from this elite class of 2000 but DFB official Bisanz says he is heartened by the fact Germany is following the example set by another leading football nation.

8220;We took as our example a similar coaches course in the Netherlands which has also received UEFA8217;s seal of approval,8221; Bisanz said.

The dark and wet winter weather at Hennef8217;s idyllic Sports academy has made the first days of this Pilot course less than enjoyable out on the pitch. At least in June, when round two comes along, some sunshine might be in place.