Critics turn on Voeller

Voeller's Germany face Scotland on Wednesday

Germany coach Rudi Voeller is under pressure to resign after his side's 0-0 draw with Iceland in their Euro 2004 qualifier on Saturday.

The Germans produced a largely ineffective display in Reykjavik to provoke a media storm and much of the blame was heaped on the under-fire Voller.

And the pressure intensified on the 43-year-old after he rebuffed the criticism in an astonishing live television interview after the game.

"I can not allow this to continue any longer - I cannot listen to this any more," said Voeller.

"The fact that I am being dragged through the mud is the lowest of the low.

"We get constant criticism. I think the coverage is too sharp. Whenever we don't score, we get blamed.

Even if you do not want to read or hear it Rudi, you were awful German daily newspaper Bild

"We don't have to dominate the group leaders on the road. I don't know why everyone expects so much from us," he added.

Voeller has come under steadily increasing pressure in Germany since returning from last year's World Cup as a hero for taking his side to the final.

But the road to Portugal and Euro 2004 has proved bumpier than Voeller would have wanted and he has attracted widespread condemnation in his homeland.

"Even if you do not want to read or hear it Rudi, you were awful," said Bild, the German daily newspaper.

"No ideas, no passing. We do not deserve to qualify for Portugal playing like this."

Euro 2004 qualifying round-up

Voeller's display of raw emotion has prompted questions about his future in the job with speculation that he may step down if things continue to go awry.

However, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, president of the German Football Federation, played down such talk.

"I would not take that so seriously," said Mayer-Vorfelder.

"It was an impulsive reaction from Rudi Voeller."

Voeller will once again come under the spotlight when his team play former Germany coach Berti Vogts' Scotland in another qualifier in Dortmund on Wednesday.

Scotland lie just one place and one point behind Germany in the Group Six table.

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