Coaches Wrapped up in Mini World Cup

Earning a spot on the Brazilian soccer team is no easy task, so when players get called up for national team duty they have to be willing to postpone the lesser joys of life -- including a summer vacation.

"As far as the national team goes, rest is something relative," Brazil's national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira told reporters Wednesday. "To play for Brazil is not a sacrifice, a favor or an obligation. It has to involve honor, pleasure and willingness. If the player does not feel that way, he can ask for his hat and leave."

Parreria said he plans to win the Confederations Cup by bringing a full-strength squad to Germany next month. It's a small change in course for the Brazilian, who used bench players to win the Copa America and also gave his starters a rest during the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.

Argentineans can have a break

Argentinean coach Jose Pekerman has taken a more pragmatic approach to what his players will be doing this summer.

"It is a valuable tournament and we'll be giving it the importance it deserves," Pekerman told fifiawordcup.com. "Obviously, we want to do as well as we can, as we do in every game, but we also have to strike a balance between this tournament and our other commitments around this time."

This summer's contest is a way to test the team's ability to play together as well as a chance to test new players, Pekerman added.

Rehhagel calls for German Greeks' support

Dealing with players who may enjoy vacation a little too much is a problem Greece national team coach Otto Rehhagel, and unlike his Brazilian colleague, he doesn't have a top-quality bench to pull players from.

"We don't exactly have strength in depth," he told fifaworldcup.com. "It's vital we don't suffer any injuries and we have to play smart."

After his team shocked the soccer world winning the European Championship in June 2004, in June 2005 no one will underestimate the Greeks, who are ranked 12th in the world.

Facing stiff competition in the preliminary rounds from Brazil, Mexico and Japan, Rehhagel, a German himself, has called on the host country's large Greek population to throw their support behind his players.

"I'm calling on every Greek in Germany to come to Frankfurt with their families on these two days and support their team," Rehhagel said, trying to repeat the procedure that worked for Greece in Portugal. "I reckon the games in Frankfurt will be just like home matches for us."

If ticket sales are anything to go by, Greeks in Germany have responded. The Greece-Brazil match is already sold out, and fans already bought 20,000 tickets for the Greek matches against Japan and Mexico.