Beckenbauer backs Ballack as captain

BERLIN - Germany’s playing great Franz Beckenbauer says Michael Ballack should remain national team captain.

Beckenbauer, writing in his column for Bild newspaper Saturday, said it was not Ballack’s fault he was injured before the World Cup in South Africa.

The debate in Germany over who should now captain the side is “unnecessary,” Beckenbauer said.

“He (Ballack) is hardly a worse player in the last three months. Why should one take the captain’s armband away from him?” Beckenbauer said.

Although honorary president of Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer said Bayern defender Philipp Lahm, who captained Germany at the World Cup, was “still a young man and can wait a bit.”

Germany coach Joachim Loew has said he will be speaking to both players before making a decision on the captaincy.

German media have speculated that Ballack, 33, may have to relinquish the captain’s armband if he wants to continue his international career.

Beckenbauer said that should Loew decide to give Lahm the captaincy, Ballack would have “a difficult decision” on deciding whether to continue playing for Germany.

“I don’t know if he will put up with that,” he said.