Germany honours Loew, World Cup heroes

Germany coach Joachim Loew and his side were honoured by Federal President Christian Wulff at a ceremony in Berlin.

BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew and his national side were honoured by Federal President Christian Wulff at a ceremony in Berlin to pay tribute to their third-place at the World Cup.

With Germany playing Turkey in a Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday, Loew and his squad visited Berlin’s Schloss Bellevue where the coach was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and his side received the Silver Laurel Leaf.

“You are, as far as the results are concerned, the most successful coach in German Football Federation history, even if you have not yet won the World Cup,” said Wulff.

Loew stressed he was simply the figurehead for a group of people working hard for the side and the award was recognition of the team’s ideals of “respect, ambition and fair play”.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2010.