Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Germany won't build base for 2018 World Cup in Russia - Oliver Bierhoff

Germany are to examine options for a base camp at the 2018 World Cup, but general manager Oliver Bierhoff has told kicker they will not build one as they did in Brazil two years ago.

With Germany having taken nine points from three qualifying matches, the flying start has led officials to speak about plans for the tournament in Russia.

But Bierhoff said: "The World Cup will be a big challenge regarding the camp and logistics.

"You can't just build a Campo Bahia [the base in Brazil] everywhere. We won't be able to do that in Russia, and as things stand now the best options for a camp are in the Moscow region."

All teams will need to name their base camps prior to the draw in December, which means associations will not know which cities they are playing in during the group stages.

Germany coach Joachim Low said: "We'll go to Russia in November to get an impression regarding the conditions, the camp and the training possibilities for the World Cup."

The 2018 tournament will be played over four times zones between Kaliningrad in the west and Ekaterinburg, some 1,550 miles to the east.

When Low and Bierhoff travel to Russia in November, they will also attend the Confederations Cup draw in Kasan.

Low has already said he intends to give a break to key players who took part in the European Championships when the Confederations Cup comes around.

And with Germany's under-21 side having qualified for the 2017 European Championships, Bierhoff said: "The broad public is certainly more interested in the national team.

"But on the other side it could be an advantage for young players to take on responsibility for the under-21 rather than sitting on the bench at the Confed Cup."

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