Ballack ´meeting´ will be a ´hearing´, says Loew´s lawyer

Chelsea star Michael Ballack's criticism of Joachim Loew angered the Germany coach and their planned crisis talks will be more of a 'hearing' than a 'meeting', said Loew's lawyer Saturday.

Loew's lawyer Christoph Schickhardt told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper his client was deeply hurt when Ballack criticised him last week by claiming Loew had shown senior Germany players a lack of respect and loyalty.

And Ballack's role as team captain now hangs in the balance.

“At first, he was completely speechless and disappointed with his captain's comments,” said Schickhardt when he described his client's initial reaction.

“In particular, the comment that he had shown a lack of respect injured him deeply.

“That was what really annoyed him, it is one of the things he cares about most.”

Ballack and Loew had a short telephone conversation on Thursday to arrange a meeting in Germany as soon as possible to discuss Ballack's comments.

But on Friday, Ballack's club Chelsea refused permission for their player, who is recovering from a foot operation, to travel to Germany to explain himself – and his future in die Mannschaft will depend on what is said.

And when the meeting does take place, it will be more like a legal hearing than a discussion, says Schickhardt.

“The word 'discussion' is wrong in this context, 'hearing' would be a better description,” explained Schickhardt.

“By this process, the coach of the national team will make his decision.”

Ballack got the ball rolling with his fiery comments “and it is up to him to stop it,” added Schickhardt.

“He must create a situation which enables Joachim Loew to take his arguments into consideration.

“I do not know at the moment how Ballack wants the situation to end.”

As the only genuine world-class player in the Germany team, Ballack started the war of words with Loew last Tuesday in a frank interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“Experienced national players deserve at least some respect and loyalty,” said Ballack.

“There was a group of experienced players in that squad like Torsten Frings, Miroslav Klose and me whose achievements have suddenly been questioned and we find ourselves under attack.”

Loew responded by calling for an urgent meeting with Ballack, but all week here the German media has been full of comment and opinion on the issue.

With Germany playing England in a friendly at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on November 19, it remains to be seen whether Ballack will be at die Mannschaft's helm and senior figures here have called for him to be disciplined.

And Schickhardt warned against assuming Loew will take a soft approach with the national captain.

“Nobody should be mistaken in the self-assertion of Joachim Loew or with the consequences of crossing him,” said Schickhardt.

“He is measured thinker and there is every possibility of what he will decide.”

On Friday, Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann told Ballack to apologise for his comments and former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus urged Loew to punish Ballack, saying that he had breached the team's code of conduct.