‘No power struggle,’ Lahm says of captaincy claim

DURBAN - German defender Philipp Lahm said his wish to retain the captaincy of the national football team was “no attack” on team-mate Michael Ballack, who skippered the side before an injury prevented him from playing in the World Cup.

“It’s no power struggle at all either because only one person has power and that’s the coach,” Lahm said after Germany lost to Spain 1-0 in their semi-final match in Durban on Wednesday evening.

“When you’ve got a post you want to keep it, no more and no less,” said Lahm, 26. “It’d be bad if I didn’t want to continue carrying out the post. I enjoy it a lot. I haven’t attacked Michael Ballack.”

The controversy arose on Monday when Lahm said in several interviews that he would like to remain captain beyond the World Cup, creating splash headlines in Germany of a “power struggle” between him and Ballack, a 33-year-old midfielder with 98 caps.

“Of course I don’t want to give up the captain’s armband again,” Lahm was quoted as telling the Munich-based daily tz. “I won’t volunteer to give it up. But that decision is with the coach.”

Asked by the tabloid Bild whether the German team still needed Ballack, Lahm said: “I’m not the one who should answer the question with a yes or a no.”

Lahm’s comments caused a huge stir back home and team manager Oliver Bierhoff reacted to them by saying they had been ill-timed. But Germany coach Joachim Loew rejected suggestions that team harmony had been dealt a blow.

Defending the timing of his captaincy claim, Lahm said, “I didn’t talk about the team or about anybody who’s here. It was only about my position and the post I’m carrying out at the moment.”

Ballack had been with the squad to lend support during the quarter-final win over Argentina. He left on Monday amid media speculation that relations with some of his team-mates were less than idyllic.

Loew said, however, that Ballack had left on the advice of the team’s medical staff to begin rehabilitation work ahead of the new season.