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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - Germany will use a newly built World Cup base near for next year's tournament in Brazil that will allow for relatively short flights to its games.
The German Football Federation said Friday the coastal base will be in the state of Bahia, 19 miles north of Porto Seguro.
The base is still under construction and will consist of 14 two-story houses for players and team officials. A media center and practice field will be nearby. The base is near the village of Santo Andre and will be finished by March.
National team manager Oliver Bierhoff said the facility was "not being built for us and according to our wishes." But the newspaper Bild, which first reported the choice of base, said coach Joachim Loew was not happy with the hotels offered and decided on the new camp.
The project is financially supported by a German entrepreneur, the federation said.
The German team will fly to Brazil on June 7 and prepare for the tournament at its base. Germany plays Portugal on June 16 in Salvador, Ghana on June 21 in Fortaleza and the United States on June 26 in Recife.
Germany is seeking its fourth World Cup title and the first since 1990. The last major title Germany won was the 1996 European Championship.
After an exhibition game against Poland on May 13, the Germans will train for 10 days at the end of May in Alto Adige, a German-speaking region in northern Italy.
An exhibition against an undetermined opponent is scheduled for Moenchengladbach on June 1, and another in Mainz on June 6. Germany also plays Chile on March 5 in Stuttgart.
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