Germany, France arrange anniversary match

Germany have rearranged a friendly international with France to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty next year. The two nations were originally due to meet in 2014, but that date has now been brought forward with the match to take place on 6 February next year, half a century after Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer signed the treaty of friendship between the two nations. As a result, the friendly between Germany and Italy which was due to take place on that date has been put back to March 2014. "We were immediately touched by this idea and we made contact with the Italians and the French," said the German Football Association (DFB) general secretary and designated president Wolfgang Niersbach. "The fact we were able to change the schedule around so quickly and without any problems demonstrates the good relationship between the three associations." The re-arranged game will take place in France, with the two nations meeting in Bremen at the end of next month for the first part of a double-header.