Ballack blow for club and country
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Article summary
FC Bayern München and Germany's Michael Ballack will be out of action for up to two months.
Article body
FC Bayern München midfield player Michael Ballack will be out of action for up to two months after suffering an ankle injury in the 3-0 1. Bundesliga defeat of Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday.
Ligament injury
The German international, who scored both goals in Bayern's 2-0 win against FC Energie Cottbus last weekend, was forced to leave the field after 22 minutes, and the club later confirmed that he has damaged ligaments in his left ankle. Ballack will need to wear a plaster for 14 days, then rest for a further month.
Damaged ligaments
Croatian midfield player Niko Kovac replaced Ballack in the game with Leverkusen, the club Ballack left last summer to join Bayern. Ballack's loss did not affect Bayern's performance, as they went on to secure a comfortable victory that extended their lead at the top of the table to 13 points.
Out for Lithuania
Ballack will also miss Germany’s UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying game at home to Lithuania on 29 March. Rudi Völler’s side lead Group 5 with a maximum six points from their two games so far.
