Coach Joachim Loew and the German football federation DFB yesterday dismissed criticism from Michael Ballack over the way the end of his national team career was communicated. Niersbach said that all talks with Ballack, 34, had been “fair” and that the player did not make use of an opportunity to announce his retirement from the team himself, after being told in March there was no longer a place for him. Loew said on Thursday that the captain Ballack, 34, was not needed any more because young players had taken centre stage. Loew and the DFB invited Ballack to captain the team one more time in an August 10 friendly with Brazil, but the midfielder declined on Friday and issued sharp criticism on Loew. “If the impression is created that I and my role as captain of the German national team were treated honestly, that is simply hypocritical,” Ballack said in the statement through his agent. The 98-times capped Ballack named the offer for him to play a pre-arranged friendly as a farewell match a “farce.” Ballack last played for Germany in March 2010. He missed the World Cup because of an ankle injury and was not recalled by Loew this year after overcoming another injury. He captained the team 55 times. Niersbach said in an interview on the DFB website that Loew told Ballack at a March 30 meeting that he no longer had a place for the Bayer Leverkusen player in his team. “We jointly - I stress: jointly - agreed to keep quiet, to give Michael time to consider the issue, and to decide in a final meeting with Joachim Loew how to communicate the decision,” said Niersbach. Niersbach said he was in contact with Ballack last month and that “we granted his wish to announce his retirement from the national team himself.” Niersbach said that Ballack did not get in contact as planned after recent internationals for final talks and that all attempts by Loew and the DFB to reach him failed as well. As a result, Niersbach said, Loew made the announcement himself on Thursday to end the long-standing issue. Loew said through the DFB yesterday: “I know exactly what we talked about with Michael. My statements will not change.”