Kuranyi axed after walkout

GERMAN coach Joachim Low has revealed Kevin Kuranyi will not play for the national team again as long as he is in charge.

The Schalke striker walked out on the squad on Saturday during the interval of their 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Russia, having failed to make the 18-man party for the game. Attempts to contact him after the match proved fruitless as Kuranyi failed to turn up for the coach back to the team hotel.

However reports yesterday suggested Kuranyi, who later sent friends to the hotel to pick up his belongings, was set to announce his international retirement after the disappointment of being left out.

But Low has now made that decision for him, ruling the 26-year-old out of all future international matches.

“I cannot accept the way Kevin reacted yesterday,” he blasted. “I have not heard a word from him, but given the way things have gone, as a coach, I cannot nominate him again. It would not be right to the team and to the coaches to pick him again. If a player decides to clear his room and leave after a match, I cannot accept that.”

Low was made aware of Kuranyi’s disappointment by the player himself, but insists that is no excuse for his behaviour.

“I had a chat with him yesterday,” explained Low. “As a coach, you have got to make decisions like this and you expect that some are hurt or disappointed, but that is my job and the players have to accept it. It would have been advisable for him to come and talk to me or one of my colleagues.

“But none of us knew what had happened — we just sat on the bus and waited for him. I am disappointed with the way he acted. I can understand his disappointment, but he should not overreact — that is not right.”

For Kuranyi, it is another chapter in what has already been a difficult season. He was criticised by Schalke fans recently after being made the scapegoat for their lack of goals.

“Unfortunately, I have grown used to them,” he said after being jeered off towards the end of the 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last month.

Kuranyi has made 52 appearances for Germany, scoring 19 goals, but he has recently fallen behind Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski in the pecking order. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Helmes took one of the seven places on the bench against Russia on Saturday.