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Ballack Caught Up In Row, Beenhakker Apologises

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker has apologised to Michael Ballack after a Polish newspaper depicted him holding up the decapitated heads of Germany coach Joachim Löw and Ballack himself...

Polish daily Super Express photoshopped the image in the build-up to the two sides' meeting on Sunday in Klagenfurt.

They still carry a sense of rivalry since World War II and have never beaten the Germans before. Despite Beenhakker himself branding the "bring us their heads" captioned feature as "sick", UEFA have also attempted to placate the controversy.

A spokesman declared: "We are aware of the pictures. It's not something we should condone, people should be talking about the football.

"There is a healthy rivalry but there is a limit. We are hopeful the talking will be done on the pitch."

Sick People

Beenhakker, who himself is Dutch, spoke to Bild about the images: "That is rubbish. It shows that all over the world there are sick people. I distance myself from it totally.

"I hope I can speak in the name of many Polish people, but at least I speak in the name of the Polish team and everybody around it.

"We want to say that we apologize to the German people for what was yesterday on the front page of a certain paper in Poland.

"It was an awful thing, and we want to totally distance ourselves from these, let me say, weird and dirty and sick people who think they have to represent Poland this way in relation to Euro 2008.

"But I have said from the first day that we knew our opponents, that we have to separate and stay totally away from these emotions and sentimental things and within the team just focus on the game ... I don't lose any time on this emotional and, as we have seen, sometimes dirty occasions."

The chairman of Bundestag's sport committee, Peter Danckert, slammed the daily for the publication: "This photo-montage is a scandal. I hope that the Polish government reacts appropriately to it."

Germany coach Löw did his utmost to ignore the paper, declaring: "What was in one newspaper is not representative ... Polish and German fans were together celebrating the match at the World Cup two years ago

"I have a very high opinion of Beenhakker and he is very humane and very open."

Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Ballack Caught Up In Row, Beenhakker Apologises