July 09, 2006	Sunday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 12, 1427

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BERLIN, July 8: With a World Cup final soon to kick off in their own backyard, Germans are having a tough time deciding whether to cheer for France or Italy.

Still mourning the heart-breaking loss of their own team in the semi-finals, many locals seem more concerned with securing third place in Saturday's playoff against Portugal than backing the French or Italians in Sunday's decider in Berlin.

“The team will really be focused for Saturday. We really want to beat the Portuguese,” Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said on Friday. “I don't think any of the players will attend the final and I myself will definitely not be going.”

When pressed to choose between the Zinedine Zidane-inspired ‘Les Bleus’ and Marcello Lippi's ‘Azzurri’, Germans offer a host of reasons to support either side without coming down hard in favour of one team or the other.

Some say Italy must win because they beat Germany. It might burnish the standing of Klinsmann's young team if people knew their only defeat came to the eventual world champions.

But others say the exact opposite — the team that ousted their beloved home side must get its come-uppance.

“I am for France,” said Katharine Zenk, a 22-year old Berlin student. “My only reason is that Germany lost to Italy. If we had lost to France I would probably be for Italy.”

In a nation where almost everyone seems to have their favourite local Italian restaurant, some have decided to back Italy for purely culinary reasons — a number of trattorias have promised to dish out free pizza if the Azzurri win.

Others are reluctant to see Italy win their fourth world title because then they would have one more than Germany.

Manfred Guellner, head of the Forsa polling group, said many Germans might have Italian sympathies simply because there are so many Italians in Germany.

In the 1950s, construction workers from Italy came north by the tens of thousands to help power Germany's post-war economic miracle. Over half a million Italian nationals live in Germany today, second only in numbers to the Turks.

But Guellner also pointed to the post-war friendship Germany has forged with its western neighbour France.

“I really think the loyalties are finely balanced,” Guellner said. “Both teams have support here.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, keen not to alienate either of her European allies, has declined to name a favourite.

“Both teams have played an excellent World Cup and raised their level since the tournament began,” she was quoted as saying.

“Both teams definitely deserve to be in the final — although I'd prefer not to predict a winner.”

But Kurt Beck, the head of Germany's Social Democrats who rule in coalition with Merkel's conservatives, was not shy about choosing a winner, even going so far as to predict which player would score and how they would do it.

“My prediction is 1-0 for France over Italy,” said Beck, who is also premier of Rhineland-Palatinate, a state which borders on France.—Reuters