The DFB/Joachim Loew vs Michael Ballack spat

The DFB/Joachim Loew vs Michael Ballack spat is like an old married couple who suddenly get divorced and have stored recent events in their minds in totally different ways. While Loew maintains that he was all this while fair to Ballack and made him understand from March 2011 onwards that he will most likely have no future in the national team, Ballack says it was the other way around and he was looking forward to making a return for Germany at some stage after getting over his injuries.

Ballack went to the extend to accuse Loew of being a hypocrite and the offer of a farewell match being a farce. He therefore turned down the offer to lead Germany for one last time against Brazil in an international friendly on August 10 in Stuttgart.

The German FA (DFB) shot back through its General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach in saying that Loew had kept Ballack informed throughout these months and it was up to the player to call it quits on his international career, but when the DFB was unable to communicate with Ballack via mobile phone as he was on holiday, the DFB had enough and released the statement from Loew last Thursday ending all speculation.

This Ballack called lack of trust and hit back on Friday with a statement through his lawyers and then Niersbach made his statements on Saturday. By then the whole issue had blown out of proportion then many in Germany believe the era Ballack in Team Germany is over, only he should have gotten a fitting farewell.

Leverkusen's Director of Sports Rudi Voeller, himself a former Germany coach, said that he would like to mediate while DFB president Theo Zwanziger has reiterated that he would like to see Ballack play one last time for Germany, but he would have to excuse himself for the statements made.

If this will happen after all that has been said is doubtful, but a player like Ballack deserves such a testimonial game, only he should also understand when his time is over and not hit back like a small brat. Everyone comes out of this as a loser...