The Germany European Championship Finals 2000 Squad pre-England  June 2000
Player	Birthdate	Age	Pos	Club	App	G
2. Babbel, Markus	8 September 1972	27	D	FC Bayern Munich eV	50	1
13. Ballack, Michael	26 September 1976	23	M	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	7	0
20. Bierhoff, Oliver	1 May 1968	32	F	AC Milan SpA, Italy	50	30
	Olivier Bierhoff picked up a calf injury and not available for the England match.
4. Bode, Marco	23 July 1969	30	F	SV Werder Bremen von 1899 eV	20	5
22. Butt, Hans-Jorg	28 May 1974	26	G	Hamburger SV eV	1	0
18. Deisler, Sebastian Toni	5 January 1980	20	M	Hertha, Berliner SC von 1892 eV	4	0
8. Hassler, Thomas Jurgen	30 May 1966	34	M	TSV München von 1860	100	11
14. Hamann, Dietmar Johann Wolfgang	27 August 1973	26	M	Liverpool FC, England	25	2
19. Jancker, Carsten	28 August 1974	25	F	FC Bayern Munich eV	7	3
16. Jeremies, Jens	5 March 1974	26	M	FC Bayern Munich eV	24	1
1. Kahn, Oliver Rolf	15 June 1969	30	G	FC Bayern Munich eV	25	0
9. Kirsten, Ulf	4 December 1965	34	F	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	49	21
12. Lehmann, Jens Gerhard	10 November 1969	30	G	BV Borussia 09 eV Dortmund	12	0
4. Linke, Thomas	26 December 1969	30	D	FC Bayern Munich eV	16	0
10. Matthaus, Lothar Herbert	21 March 1961	39	D	New York/New Jersey MetroStars, United States	148	23
6. Nowotny, Jens Daniel	11 January 1974	26	D	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	20	0
21. Ramelow, Carsten	20 March 1974	26	M	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	9	0
3. Rehmer, Marko	29 April 1972	28	D	Hertha, Berliner SC von 1892 eV	12	1
11. Rink, Paulo Roberto	21 February 1973 born in Brazil	27	F	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	9	0
7. Scholl, Mehmet	16 October 1970	29	M	FC Bayern Munich eV	27	5
15. Wosz, Dariusz	8 June 1969 born in Poland	30	M	Hertha, Berliner SC von 1892 eV	16	1
17. Ziege, Christian	1 February 1972	28	M	Middlesbrough FC, England	51	8

Squad details correct up to and including Germany's match against Romania on 12 June 2000.

Diary

Thursday, 13 April 2000 - Under fire Germany coach Erich Ribbeck has named Jens Jeremies in his provisional Euro 2000 squad list.  Ribbeck dumped Jeremies from his squad for the April 26th friendly against Switzerland after the Bayern München player told 'Kicker' magazine that German squad had not improved since the 1998 World Cup finals and they had no chance of retaining their European title.  Ribbeck said last week that Jeremies would remain in contention for the Euro finals in June despite his criticism. Captain Oliver Bierhoff called last month for an end to Ribbeck's experimentation with the squad and wanted a settled side named well before the end of May. The lack of surprises in the provisional list shows Ribbeck has taken the Milan player's advice.  There is no place for Bayern's Liverpool-bound defender Markus Babbel but young Hertha Berlin star Sebastian Deisler is in contention for a place in the final 22 despite recent injury problems. Fiorentina defender Jorge Heinrich does not make the initial selection.

Monday, 22 May 2000 - Erich Ribbeck has named his Germany squad for Euro 2000, with veterans Thomas Hassler and Lothar Matthaus both included in the party. Hassler has 97 caps to his name but his inclusion is seen as a surprise. Ribbeck said: "This wasn't a case of 'the others weren't doing the job'. "This is a player with a lot of experience who can help make the team successful with his knowledge and attitude." Hassler, who last played for Germany in the 1998 World Cup, is joined by late additions Carsten Ramelow and Paolo Rink of Bayer Leverkusen in the German line-up. Hertha Berlin striker Michael Preetz and Leverkusen winger Oliver Neuville, both regulars in recent times, lost their places and have been placed on stand-by along with uncapped 1860 Munich striker Martin Max. Bayern midfielder Jens Jeremies has been included, even though he has yet to prove his fitness following a broken collar bone. "The key to my choosing the squad was having alternatives for every position so that I could replace any one player with someone of similar quality," Ribbeck said. "The toughest decision was omitting Oliver Neuville who has been in the side since I took over. Still I believe we are in a position to have a good team which is more than just competitive."

Tuesday, 30 May 2000 - Bayern Leverkusen striker Paulo Rink grabbed a brace as Germany strolled to a 4-0 win over Primera Liga team Real Mallorca. The result will ease the pressure that has been growing on Erich Ribbeck's side over the past few months. They were cheered on by a mainly German crowd of around 14,000 in Palma.

Thursday, 1 June 2000 - Record-breaking Lothar Matthaus is included in the squad as expected despite a thigh injury.  The 39-year-old veteran pulled a muscle in his right thigh at a training camp in Mallorca at the weekend and will be unavailable when the European champions play the Czech Republic on Saturday in Nuremberg. Matthaus, eager to extend his world record of 146 caps, hopes to be back for his side's final warm-up against Liechtenstein on June 7 in Freiburg.  The captain of Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning squad plans to end his prolific international career after the European championship finals.  Head coach Erich Ribbeck made no changes to the 22 he released on May 22.  Bayern München midfielder Jens Jeremies, nursing a fractured collarbone, was left in but faces a struggle to be fit in time for Germany's Euro 2000 opener against Romania in Liege on June 12.

Saturday, 3 June 2000 - Oliver Bierhoff scored a last-minute goal to give Germany a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic. The Czechs seemed to have earned themselves a deserved draw when Patrik Berger's deflected free-kick made it 2-2 with 10 minutes to go. It was Berger's first touch after coming on as a late substitute but Germany showed their resilience and scored at the death.

Thursday, 8 June 2000 - Germany earned a welcome boost ahead of Euro 2000 with an overwhelming 8-2 victory over Liechtenstein. The minnows had at one stage been level at 2-2 but an Ulf Kirsten hat-trick and two from Carsten Jancker in a whirlwind last 10 minutes ensured the night ended on a positive note for the reigning European champions. But Germany's win is put in perspective by Liechtenstein's record of scoring just two goals in 10 Euro 2000 qualifiers. The 25,000 crowd in Freiburg roundly booed the German team at half-time with the score at 2-1, and Ribbeck made seven changes for the second half. The German team now head for their base in the small Dutch town of Vaals and Matthaus has five days to get fit for Germany's opener against Romania next week.

Saturday, 10 June 2000 - Lothar Matthaus is set to take his place in the German team for Monday's clash with Romania. The player, now into his third decade of international football, had been struggling with a thigh injury. But the veteran trained normally on Saturday and should take his place in the German defence when the European champions start their campaign. "If everything goes well from now on I should be able to play," the 39-year-old said. Both teams enter the tournament with their reputations diminishing, largely because of the average age of their squad. The German side that won Euro 96 has hardly changed and the lack of progression is a source of annoyance to some of the players as well as their avid supporters.

Sunday, 11 June 2000 - Ulf Kirsten may miss his team's opening match with Romania due to a back problem. The Bayer Leverkusen striker sustained the injury in training today.

Monday, 12 June 2000 - Germany draw 1-1 with Romania in their opening tournament match.

Friday, 16 June 2000 - Germany's star striker Oliver Bierhoff, who was already out of the clash with England, has now been ruled out for the whole of Euro 2000.  The calf injury that he picked up in training has turned out to be worse than it first appeared.

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CG