6/6/2006
SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (AP) — Iran's soccer team is hoping for a repeat of the good fortune it found the last time it came to this picturesque town in southern Germany to train for a major event.

In 2004, the national team came to Friedrichshafen to train for that year's Asian Cup in China. After 10 days of practice at the local soccer club's Zeppelin Stadium, Iran went on to dominate that competition, finishing third after losing to China in a semifinal match marked by refereeing decisions that favored the home side.

"We developed a close connection with the town, with the municipal authorities and (local team) VFB, and with the people who are uniformly hospitable and kind," said coach Branko Ivankovic. "Training conditions are ideal.

"So when we qualified for the World Cup, it was a natural choice for us if we want to get into the next round."

On Monday, Iran beat VFB 5-0 in its final warmup match before its opener against Mexico on Sunday.

Friedrichshafen is a well-tended, baroque town of 55,000 on the shores of Lake Constanz, where the borders of Switzerland, Germany and Austria intersect. Commanding a view of the snowcapped mountain range on the southern shore, it attracts about 500,000 tourists a year.

But the town became famous as the home of one of aviation's most colorful pioneers, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who founded the Zeppelin airship company. His first dirigible flew in 1900, and the company also constructed the ill-fated final ship — the Hindenburg that crashed in 1937 in Lakehurst, N.J., putting an end to Zeppelin's dream of giant airships voyaging between far-flung continents.

A Zeppelin museum housed in a Bauhaus-style building on the lakeside promenade features a cross-section segment of the 810-foot long Hindenburg, complete with boarding gate, passengers' cabins and salons equipped with art deco furniture.

"We are delighted to welcome the Iranians here again," said mayor Josef Buchelmeier, who attended Monday's match wearing a green and white Iranian jersey. "We too hope that they will repeat their success (from China)."

Iran advancing into the second round could create huge headaches for the German government, because Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has indicated he would visit the national squad in Germany if it qualifies for the knockout round.

Ahmedinajad has been criticized by European politicians for his denunciation of Israel, and some have called on the government in Berlin to ban any visit to Germany. The security services also fear that exiled opposition groups might mount violent protests against him.

"We regard Iran as a sports team," Buchelmeier said, "and nobody should mix politics and sports."