What the English think of the Germans, and vice versa

As the BBC tells it, the Germans fear they have an image problem.

Julia Kienbaum, a spokeswoman in Berlin for football's governing body Fifa, says: "Germany's image is not that good and we want to show we're not as bad as people think.

"People think of Germans as very serious and they still have a bad impression because of the Second World War, brutal Prussian discipline and the idea we want to be the leaders of the world."

The English, as the Germans see it, have a culture all their own, too.

"Sun protection seems to be an alien concept for a lot of them and they like to drink at 10 o'clock in the morning, but that's OK if they don't hit passers-by.

"That's what a lot of people in Germany understand. They also drink a lot and sing, so in that respect Germany and England are very close, and different from France, Italy or Spain."