Smile a lot to ask for from depressed German fans

BERLIN, Mar 9 (Reuters) The last thing German soccer fans feel like doing right now is flashing their best smiles to welcome the world.

That is nevertheless what they have been asked for, their reputation for unfriendliness being perceived as a problem by officials warming up for the World Cup extravaganza starting in less than 100 days.

That national ''service and friendliness'' campaign is all very well but at the moment the football-loving Germans could be excused for being miserable -- and even a little bit rude.

Their team have just been outclassed 4-1 by Italy and have not beaten top international opposition in over five years, two of the soccer-mad nation's greatest names are squaring off in public and the country's only genuine active world class player, Michael Ballack, is seriously considering a move abroad.

Dark clouds started gathering last week with the friendly defeat in Florence that exposed the weaknesses of coach Juergen Klinsmann's team and left the three-times world champions chasing victory over a first-class side since a 1-0 defeat of England at Wembley in October 2000.

Several deputies reacted by saying Klinsmann should be summoned before a parliamentary committee to explain his training methods.

''It would be good if Herr Klinsmann would come before the sport committee and explain what his concept is and how Germany can win the World Cup,'' said Norbert Barthle, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU.

''The match against Italy was gruesome and we wonder that can be fixed by the summer. The federal government is the biggest sponsor of the World Cup. In light of that, I'd like to get a few answers from him.'' TECHNICAL ISSUES More troubles soon followed for Klinsmann when Franz Beckenbauer, who coached him in the 1990 World Cup-winning side, criticised his former striker for returning home to California instead of attending a World Cup coaches workshop.

Beckenbauer, Germany's World Cup organising committee president, said he was angry and disappointed that Klinsmann was not in Duesseldorf for the two-day meeting to discuss technical issues that ended on Tuesday.

''This was an obligatory appointment,'' a furious Beckenbauer said. ''He simply needed to be there. It was his duty.'' Klinsmann rejected the attack and said he had the situation under control.

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