Not invited

Loew broke the bad news to Kuranyi in a telephone call on Monday morning, and the German Football Association, the DFB, released a transcript of what the coach said.

There has been bad blood between the two ever since October 2008, when Kuranyi walked out on the team after being relegated to the stands for a Germany match against Russia.

But Loew denied that that incident had cost Kuranyi a spot in the team.

"The disciplinary matter in October 2008 ultimately didn't play any role at all, and it would have been no problem to give him another chance in the national team," Loew said in the DFB statement. "Nonetheless after talking everything over with the coaching staff, we concluded that we have other ideas in terms of tactics and personnel for our World Cup squad."

The striker, who has notched up 18 league goals this season and led Schalke to second place in the table, was understandably disappointed.

"Like every footballer, I've dreamt of taking part in a World Cup ever since boyhood, and this is the second time my dreams have gone up in smoke," the striker said on his website. "In sporting terms, I gave everything I had this season, but unfortunately it was not enough."

Loew's predecessor, Juergen Klinsmann also cut Kuranyi from the national squad shortly before the start of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Risky Move

Loew's decision runs contrary to public advice offered by many football elites, including Germany's soccer "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as coach in 1990. Schalke coach Felix Magath had also lobbied for Kuranyi to be included in the national squad.

Loew has already guaranteed spots in the squad to out-of-form forwards Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, leading many to claim the coach plays favorites to the detriment of the team. Klose and Podolski only have five goals between them this season.

Roughly a week ago, Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings, whom Loew has also booted off the national team, said that performance played little role in who got nominated.

The majority of German football fans blogging after the Kuranyi decision was announced agreed with that assessment.

"I personally see it as an act of revenge that shows no interest in winning the World Cup title in 2020," one user of the Bild newspaper's website wrote. "How many of the players nominated can say they scored that many goals in the 2009-10 season?"

Even some supporters of Schalke's great rival Dortmund have criticized Loew's decision.

"Even though I'm a Dortmund supporter and have never been able to stand Kuranyi, it's absolutely stupid to leave a striker of that quality at home," another Bild blogger wrote. "Loew absolutely has to go."

Loew will nominate a preliminary World Cup squad this Thursday, before having to make his final choice on June 1 which 23 players he'll take to South Africa.

One thing, however, is already clear. In forgoing Kuranyi, Loew is taking a big personal as well as personnel risk. Should Germany have difficulty scoring goals and go out early in South Africa, there is little to no chance that the coach will remain in charge of the team.

Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Rob Turner