Germany Considers Offers of Holy Guidance

It was revealed this week that Germany's protestant churches are planning to hold late-night services during next year's World Cup to allow supporters to come in at all times to pray for their team, amongst other things.

Leaders of Germany's protestant church association (EKD) have said that two clergymen would spend the next 10 months preparing the ground for the initiative which the church organization hopes will improve links with soccer fans.

"The sport of soccer fascinates people and the members of our community," said Pastor Hans-Joachim Fischer in an interview with Reuters. "I know at least three priests who have season tickets for Eintracht Frankfurt. We want to do more than set up a few television screens in our centers."

World Cup services planned and prayers offered

Offering quiet places of reflection and spiritual guidance will only be part of the plan, according to EKD officials. The churches also plan special World Cup services and will offer facilities for soccer fans to pray on their own.

The EKD plans to contact church organizations in the 32 competing countries and also hope to get involved with local organizing committees at Germany's 12 World Cup venues, which include Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt.

The church needs to pay more attention to the sport and integrate it more into its daily work," Fischer said. "The World Cup offers a first-class opportunity to build these bridges."

Team priest wants to inspire Germany to glory

Meanwhile, as the EKD continues to set up the initiative which will allow supporters to call on divine help in bring World Cup glory to their country, the evangelist church is offering a more direct link to the heavenly power. The church has offered to provide a priest to help Klinsmann’s team achieve their goal.

"We are ready to offer the players and the management spiritual assistance for the World Cup,” explained Hans-Georg Ulrichs, the official evangelist church World Cup priest.

“The DFB (German Football Federation) and the German management team have been informed of our offer. We would be delighted if the World Cup helps to revive the relationship between the German national team and the church."

Predecessors blessed by divine intervention

Klinsmann may see religion as a good omen with predecessor Helmut Schön using a church representative the last time Germany hosted the World Cup back in 1974.

West Germany went on to win the tournament defeating a Johan Cruyff-inspired Holland team 2-1 in Munich.

In the 1990 World Cup West Germany’s manager Franz Beckenbauer also elected to have a member of the church accompany his team in Italy and they won the trophy again.

Klinsmann was part of that winning team and is not afraid of calling on help from outside having already recruited a sports psychologist for the first time in the country’s history.