Germany ‘stars’ in serious crash
ST MARTIN, Italy, May 28, (Agencies): A steward has told how he tried to stop the accident involving Germany’s World Cup stars when one of the cars they were passengers in hit him and a by-stander.
The accident at Germany’s pre-World Cup training camp in north Italy on Tuesday left the steward in hospital and the German by-stander in a serious condition following the crash during the filming of a television advert.
SID, an AFP subsidiary, reported on Wednesday that the 63-year-old bystander is out of immediate danger.
Germany’s World Cup stars Julian Draxler and Benedikt Hoewedes were passengers in separate cars during the filming of the commercial for Mercedes, one of the German Football Association’s (DFB) main sponsors, when the accident happened.
The by-stander was airlifted to hospital, while the course steward, named only as Michael K., is also being treated after flying through the windscreen of the car driven by 19year-old professional touring car driver Pascal Wehrlein.
Schalke centreback Hoewedes is reported to have been Wehrlein’s passenger in the Mercedes involved in the accident, but the 26-year-old was unharmed.
Formula One driver Nico Rosberg, who was driving the other Mercedes car at the time of the crash, wrote on Twitter: “The accident shocked me, my thoughts are with both victims,” while Wehrlein is said to be very upset by the incident.
In an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost, Michael K. described how he spotted the by-stander, thought to be a holiday maker looking for an autograph from the German footballers, on the closed Alpine course.
“He wanted to take a picture and also get an autograph,” he said, having suffered back, leg and elbow injuries in the impact.
“He wasn’t on the road, but was right next to it, a few metres in front of the barrier.
“I shouted to him loudly. I wanted to pull him back, but didn’t get to him in time.
“If it had taken two seconds longer, I would been directly hit and I could have been killed.”
The DFB cancelled a scheduled practise match between Joachim Loew’s World Cup squad and Germany’s Under20 side on Tuesday evening.
The DFB are holding their 10-day training camp in the north Italian Alps which concludes on Saturday before their first World Cup match in Group G against Portugal in Salvador on June 16.
Germany’s hopes of having a fully fit squad at next month’s World Cup in Brazil received a boost on Wednesday when holding midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira trained with the team for the first time.
Bayern Munich’s Schweinsteiger has endured an injury-hit season, with an inflamed knee the latest setback to keep him out of action in recent weeks.
Khedira, who formed a solid midfield partnership with Schweinsteiger at Euro 2012 and the previous World Cup for Germany, has only recently returned to action after a six-month layoff due to a torn cruciate ligament in his knee last year.
He has played only a handful of games since his recovery, including starting for Real Madrid’s victorious Champions League side last week in the win over local rivals Atletico, and only joined his Germany team mates on Monday evening.
“You have to let this (Champions League) win sink in a bit and I tried to enjoy it. But now I have a different aim for which I prepared for these last six months and now I am here,” Khedira told reporters after his first training session.
Both players appeared to be moving freely on the pitch on a sunny day in the Italian Alps, the site of Germany’s pretournament training camp.
“It is difficult to estimate in percentages but I am fit,” said Khedira. “There are some details I need to continue working on but that was clear from the start. It was always going to be a long process but my aim was always to be fit for the World Cup.”
“It is extremely important that I train with the team and I also do extra training. Things are looking up and I will be fully fit by June. We want to be world champions and will do everything to achieve it.”
It was not all good news for coach Joachim Loew, however, with captain Philipp Lahm completing just a light training run on Wednesday while injured defender Marcel Schmelzer also worked out alone.
Keeper Manuel Neuer has been ruled out for at least a few more days and will not train at all in Italy as he recovers from a shoulder injury, with team officials insisting his participation at the finals was not in doubt.
“I am certain he will be on the pitch by June 16 (for Germany’s opening game against Portugal) even if he does not play until then. He is so professional and has such abilities that he will prepare himself to be fit by then,” Khedira said.