Matthaus wants Ballack disciplined
Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus said Thursday die Mannschaft coach Joachim Loew must discipline current national skipper Michael Ballack for his recent criticisms of Loew in the media here.
"Ballack's public criticism cannot be ignored by the coach of the national team," Matthaus, who captained Germany to their 1990 World Cup triumph, told website ZDF online.
"Such a thing does not belong in the public arena.
"I do not understand why the captain has done this."
In an interview with daily newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on Tuesday, Germany captain Ballack criticised Loew claiming he showed a lack of respect and loyalty to his senior players.
Loew responded on Wednesday by demanding a meeting with Ballack in Germany as soon as possible for an explanation of his comments.
But Matthaus, 47, says Ballack has broken the team's unwritten code of conduct and such comments should be made within the confines of the squad behind closed doors.
"Every discussion between a senior player and the coach should happen behind locked doors," said midfielder Matthaus who won 150 caps for West Germany and Germany over 20 years.
"But Ballack does not seem to adhere to a code of conduct anymore.
"He runs everything past the media.
"The trust in him has been lost."
But as the only player in the Germany team of world-class standing, Matthaus acknowledges Ballack is important to die Mannschaft's chances of winning the next World Cup in South Africa.
"Ballack at the moment is the only Germany player of world-class," said Matthaus.
"If we want to achieve something big, we can't do it without him.
"Ballack makes the difference.
"But what he is doing at the moment harms his position and that of the team."
And Ballack's Germany teammate, defender Arne Friedrich, says the captain should not have used the media to highlight problems within the team.
"That was not professional," the Hertha Berlin captain told the Berliner Morgenpost.
"Problems should be discussed internally, not in the media."
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