National Team Coach Says He'll Spend More Time in Germany

Klinsmann has been under growing criticism in Germany for his decision to keep living in the United States. Since taking the job of the German national soccer team coach in August 2004, he has been commuting between his native country and his home in southern California.

Now he has said that he will stay in Germany for the most part until the start of the World Cup on June 9.

"The centre of my life is in Germany. I knew my work and my
plans were always going to be in Germany in the last months before the World Cup," said Klinsmann on his arrival.

"I will still fly to my family in California now and again," he said in a statement on the Germany Football Federation (DFB) Web site.

With just 88 days to go to the beginning of the show piece
event, due to kick-off on June 9, Germany are sweating over the national team's ability to avoid an embarrassment on home soil.

Missed workshop

The former Germany striker, under scrutiny since a 4-1friendly defeat by Italy on March 1, had been scolded by Franz Beckenbauer for missing a two-day World Cup workshop in

Düsseldorf, which ended on Tuesday.

Klinsmann said in Sunday's statement that the reasons for his missing the workshop were personal.

"That week was just a year after the death of my father and I had promised my mother long ago that we would spend that hard time for her together in California."

Klinsmann arrived in Germany from California on Sunday and was scheduled to attend a Bundesliga game between Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt later in the day. He was planning to stay in the country at least until a friendly match against the United States on March 22 in Dortmund.

Pressure mounting

German soccer officials had turned up the pressure on Klinsmann over the past few days, saying he should spend more time in Germany.

"Klinsmann needs to be closer more often to the national side. He needs to be present in Germany. I have the right to expect that," said DFB Co-President Theo Zwanziger.

He is also due to meet with the national coach to try to
convince Klinsmann of the need for the team to be more accessible to the fans to create a positive atmosphere in the country before the finals.