Germans to build their base on coast for World Cup

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) Germany will use a newly built World Cup base near Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia for next year's tournament in Brazil.

The German Football Federation said Friday the coastal base will be at "Campo Bahia," 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Porto Seguro.

The DFB said the base is "still under construction" and will consist of 14 two-story houses for the players and team officials. A media center and a practice field will be nearby.

The base is near the village of Santo Andre and will be finished by March.

National team manager Oliver Bierhoff said the facility was "not being built for us and according to our wishes."

But the mass-circulation newspaper Bild, which first reported the choice of base, said coach Joachim Loew was not happy with the hotels being offered and decided on the new camp.

The project is financially supported by a German entrepreneur, the DFB said.

The base location allows relatively short flights to Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife. Germany plays Portugal on June 16 in Salvador, Ghana on June 21 in Fortaleza and the United States on June 26 in Recife.

The German team will fly to Brazil on June 7 and will prepare for the tournament at its base.

Germany is seeking its fourth World Cup title and the first since 1990. The last major title Germany won was the 1996 European Championship.

After a friendly against Poland on May 13, the Germans will train for 10 days at the end of May in Alto Adige, a German-speaking region in northern Italy.

A friendly against an opponent to be still determined is scheduled for Moenchengladbach on June 1, and another in Mainz on June 6, one day before the team flies to Brazil.

Germany also plays Chile on March 5 in Stuttgart.