Poland football coach says sorry for 'sick' Euro 2008 tabloid war

Poland's national football coach apologised yesterday after a tabloid newspaper ran a gruesome depiction of him holding the severed heads of Germany's national trainer and team captain and demanded he slaughter them at the forthcoming Euro 2008 championships.

The photomontage in Super Express of Poland's Dutch coach, Leo Beenhakker, clutching the bloodied heads of Michael Ballack and Joachim Löw provoked outrage in Germany and threatened to overshadow the match between the two group B teams on Sunday.

The picture ran alongside the caption: "Leo, Give us their heads," arguing that Poland, which has never beaten Germany, had waited too long for a victory over its neighbour. The image followed another tabloid's take on the rivalry, which showed Ballack wearing a Prussian helmet and recalled a 15th-century battle in which Teutonic knights were defeated by the Poles.



"This picture is an absolute scandal," said Peter Danckert, chairman of Germany's parliamentary sports commission. "I hope that the Polish government will react to it in an appropriate manner."

Germany's tabloid Bild responded by stating in a provocative banner headline that Poland had declared war against Germany and calling it "disgusting".

Beenhakker said it was "mad, dirty and sick" and apologised to Germany, on behalf of Poland's squad. "We want to say sorry to the German people," he said.