Lahm plays down row over German captaincy

“It’s no power struggle at all either because only one person has power and that’s the coach,” Lahm said after Germany lost to Spain 1-0 in their semifinal match in Durban on Wednesday evening.

“When you’ve got a post you want to keep it, no more and no less,” said Lahm, 26. “It’d be bad if I didn’t want to continue carrying out the post. I enjoy it a lot. I haven’t attacked Michael Ballack.”

The controversy arose on Monday when Lahm said in several interviews that he would like to remain captain beyond the World Cup, creating splash headlines in Germany of a “power struggle” between him and Ballack.

“Of course I don’t want to give up the captain’s armband again,” Lahm was quoted as telling the Munich-based daily Tz. “I won’t volunteer to give it up. But that decision is with the coach.”

Asked by the tabloid Bild whether the German team still needed Ballack, Lahm said: “I’m not the one who should answer the question with a yes or a no.” Defending the timing of his captaincy claim, Lahm said, “I didn’t talk about the team or about anybody who’s here. It was only about my position and the post I’m carrying out at the moment.”