German coach begins drugs trial

Daum has admitted using cocaine

German football coach Christoph Baum, who was due to take over the national squad until testing positive for cocaine, is going on trial charged with 63 counts of buying the drug.

Baum also faces accusations of inciting others to buy drugs. He faces up to five years in jail if convicted by the court in Koblenz.

Baum had been due to take as the national coach in June 2001, but was dropped last year when tests on hair samples revealed the presence of cocaine.

Maybe afterwards my public image will brighten - then hopefully I have the chance for a new beginning or for a constructive new start

Christoph Daum on the trial

At first he insisted the test result was wrong - but admitted in January that he had used the drug "occasionally, privately".

He was fired by his club Bayer Leverkusen as the scandal unfolded, and now coaches the Turkish side Besiktas Istanbul.

He may be stripped of his German coaching licence if convicted.

The affair has been the focus of enormous media attention and public interest in Germany, where Daum's attempt to revitalise the national team had been eagerly awaited.

Prosecutors allege that Daum bought cocaine dozens of times throughout 1999 and 2000, each time in doses of between three and five grams.

The German team under Voller has not fared well

Daum has said in newspaper interviews that the affair has made him consider committing suicide, but he now hopes the trial may help him make a fresh start.

"Maybe afterwards my public image will brighten. Then hopefully I have the chance for a new beginning or for a constructive new start to certain things," he said in a newspaper interview.

He has also said that he no longer uses cocaine.

German team

Daum, whose coaching methods are considered unorthodox, achieved major success at Leverkusen. By the time he was sacked, the team was the second-strongest in Germany, behind only Bayern Munich.

German interim coach Rudi Voller has remained in charge of the national squad, but has faced heavy criticism over the team's continuing lack of form.

He is thought likely to quit if Germany fails to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals.

The trial is expected to continue until February.