Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has told German players that if they do not want to wear the boots of team sponsors Adidas, they will be omitted from the national team.

“There won’t be any Germany players with any other boot than Adidas,” Klinsmann said in an interview with Sport Bild newspaper.

The newspaper claimed that a union representing professional football players (VdV) had written to a number of players to warn them that there were “problems with individual contracts with manufacturers of sporting goods other than Adidas”.

The letter was sent to Thomas Brdaric, Miroslav Klose, Frank Baumann, Thomas Hitlsperger, Timo Hildebrand, Jens Lehmann, Arne Friedrich, Dietmar Hamann and Christian Woerns, it said.

According to the terms of the agreement with Adidas, players must be completely kitted out in the company’s gear.

Klinsmann said: “If any player believes he has to take legal action so that he can play in his own boot (brand), well he can’t sue to play for us.

“If he doesn’t accept the terms, he won’t come with us and he can watch the match on television.”

In October, goalkeeper Lehmann was told by the German Football Association (DFB) he must change his gloves to Adidas or risk losing his chance of playing in the 2006 World Cup.