Uruguay or the Netherlands will be in the World Cup final by the time Tuesday is over, while Germany's harmonious campaign may just have hit its first note of discord.
Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder tries to score while practicing corner kick drills during a team training session at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Monday July 5, 2010. The Netherlands play Uruguay in the semifinal of the World Cup Soccer tournament in Cape Town on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)The South Americans meet the Dutch in Cape Town on Tuesday evening, before Germany takes on European champion Spain in Durban on Wednesday.
Germany has steamrolled its way to the semifinal but injured captain Michael Ballack has unexpectedly left the squad, just as a German newspaper printed an interview with Philipp Lahm in which the defender said he wants to stay on as skipper — even if Ballack returns after the tournament.
Team manager Oliver Bierhoff said Tuesday that there was no dispute between Lahm and Ballack and that the timing was a coincidence.
The 26-year-old Lahm is Germany's youngest ever World Cup captain after an ankle injury forced long-term leader Ballack to miss the tournament.
"Michael Ballack is still our captain, and Philipp Lahm is now our World Cup captain," Bierhoff said before the German team left its training camp near Pretoria to head to Durban.
Lahm told Tuesday's edition of German daily Bild there was no reason to give up the role voluntarily.
"It's clear that would like to keep the captain's armband — I really enjoy the role," the Bayern Munich defender said. "Why should I give up the job voluntarily?
"When you fulfill your role on the pitch and have it under control, as I do in my position, then you want more. You want more responsibility; you want to take care of the big picture. And that is the case with me now."
Asked whether the national team still needs Ballack, Bild reports that Lahm said: "It's not for me to say 'yes' or 'no' to that question."
Ballack arrived in South Africa to watch Germany beat Argentina 4-0 in the quarterfinals and had been expected to stay. The team said that Ballack left to continue therapy in Germany.
While Germany's team spirit is in question, Spain captain Iker Casillas believes that his squad's teamwork and commitment to attractive football are the reasons why it has made it to the World Cup semifinals.
"We know that the Germany match is the most important in our history," Casillas said ahead of Wednesday's game at Moses Mabhida Stadium. "Even more than the Euro 2008 final in Austria."
FIFA has put about 1,600 tickets on sale for each of the semifinals after media organizations returned some of their allocation. Sunday's final at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium is sold out.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has refused to announce his starting lineup for its semifinal against the Netherlands as originally planned in protest at the media gatecrashing a closed training session.
Tabarez was scheduled to reveal his team but declined after complaining that some media members broke an agreement by spying on Monday's training session at a stadium in Cape Town when they should have already left.
"I will not reveal the lineup," Southern said at a news conference at Green Point Stadium. "The intention was to do so but our plans have changed.
"We had a training session behind closed doors under FIFA regulations, but some journalists were there and they can inform you what happened. You will not get (the lineup) until tomorrow. The journalists have broken an agreement."
Uruguay won the last of its two World Cup titles in 1950. The Netherlands has never lifted the trophy, but did make the final twice in the 1970s.