Löw hunts for mole after German team is leaked

Published on 24/06/2012 00:44

Who is the mole in the German ranks?

Germany coach Joachim Löw is trying to plug a leak that has allowed news of his line-up plans to be all over the country’s media hours before matches at the European Championship.

The most recent case was ahead of Friday’s quarter-final against Greece, when Löw made three major changes to his attack. Germany still won comfortably 4-2, but Löw was not happy with the leak.

The players say it was none of them. Löw suspects their agents.

“The coach talked to us about it, he was not very happy,” said Andre Schuerrle, one of the newcomers in Germany’s reshuffled forward line. “I don’t think it’s anyone from the players.”

Löw said his plan was to surprise the Greeks and maintain his unpredictability. Usually, team line-ups are officially released one hour before the match. Löw’s reshuffle was common knowledge by early afternoon in the German media.

Greece head coach Fernando Santos said he expected Germany to make changes and that he knew about them on the morning of the match.

The Greeks may have been aware, but it didn’t help them to win.

Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus, the other two changes up front, both scored goals and ran the Greek defence ragged along with Schuerrle.

“It’s very unfortunate. I don’t know if it was a disadvantage, maybe not, but there is a leak,” Schuerrle said.

Reus also said Löw was not happy.

“There is a mole,” the Borussia Dortmund forward confirmed, backing his boss.

After the match against Greece, Löw said he was upset by the leaks and believes agents are passing on information to the media after being informed whether their players have been selected in the starting XI or not.

“I’ve spoken to the players about it. It’s not they who leak the lineup directly. There are other channels. We’ll find out,” Löw said.