England coach Roy Hodgson admits he was blocked from taking the Germany job by Franz Beckenbauer.

It was only when 'Der Kaiser' raised concerns over Roy's nationality that the German FA turned their attention away from Hodgson.

Hodgson said: "When I was at Blackburn Rovers, the German national team contacted me with a view of my becoming their manager.

"But Franz Beckenbauer, who had a huge influence in the German game, to his great credit put a block on me, saying it would be a terrible admission of incompetence if it weren't possible to find a coach who was German."