PORTO ALEGRE, June 29 — A mobile phone malfunction means Germany coach Joachim Loew is hard to reach at the World Cup ahead of his team’s last 16 clash against Algeria on Tuesday.

The 54-year-old has had a tough time with electronics at Germany’s Santo Andre World Cup base having lost all of his favourite music when he accidentally dropped his iPod during a run on the beach.

Now a fault with his mobile telephone is keeping Germany’s head coach on silent mode ahead of their last 16 match at Porto Alegre’s Beira-Rio Stadium.

“I can’t telephone or receive SMS messages, I have no idea where the problem lies,” he admitted.

But with his full attention on Germany’s bid to win a fourth World Cup title, Loew adopted a typically laid-back Brazilian attitude to the problem.

“There are worse things in life,” he added. — AFP