Beckenbauer Hints at Foreign Coach

German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer has strongly hinted that Germany may for the first time appoint a foreign coach for its national team. "The tendency today is: it will be a foreigner," Beckenbauer said. He heads a commission at the German Football Association charged with finding a new coach following the resignation of Rudi Völler after Germany's disappointing performance at the Euro 2004 championships. Immediately after the tournament, Germany tried to woo the winning Greek team's German coach, Otto Rehhagel. But Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup for Germany both as a player and a coach, said on the weekend that he had failed to convince Rehhagel to accept the job. According to a survey published earlier this month, a majority of Germans would accept their national side being coached by a foreigner.