Germany Wags banned from Russia as Joachim Low outlaws sex – but players can drink
No-nonsense head coach lays down his World Cup rules and allows the lads a beer or a glass of wine before bedtime
JOACHIM LOW has banned his German players from having sex during the World Cup.
Neither does he want them popping up on social media during the tournament.
But the head coach is quite happy for the defending champions to have a glass of wine or a beer before bed.
Low has laid out his dos and don'ts quite clearly, insisting: "The team is more important than the ego."
According to players will, on approval, be able to see their wives, children and girlfriends in the build-up to Russia 2018.
Not during the competition itself, though.
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But while nights of passion are almost out of the question it is not forbidden to take alcohol before going to sleep.
So long as drinking is kept within reasonable bounds, of course.
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As far as Twitter and Instagram, and the like are concerned... players must pay maximum attention.
Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, both of Turkish heritage, recently posed for photographs with the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
That only served to reignite a debate over dual citizenship and national identity in Germany.
They were criticised by politicians including the chancellor, Angela Merkel, for meeting with Erdogan during his visit to the UK.
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It follows that photos from the hotel and the locker room are forbidden. And if confidential information emerged, players risk exclusion.
Low has outlined exactly what he expects from his squad, saying: "The team is more important than the ego.
"The guys know our behaviour guidelines well, they know what our ambitions are and what our tasks are: no one can become a world champion, we are all pieces of a puzzle."
Low added: "Everyone must be aware of their role within the team. The personal ego must be appeased."
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England boss Gareth Southgate has already declared that he would be a hypocrite were he to ban his squad from drinking.
He said: “There’s a danger we overfill them with professionalism and ‘doing the right thing’.
“A lot of them don’t drink but some do and some need to wind down in a different way."