A year after the World Cup that had Germans on their feet and in each others’ arms in an uncharacteristic outpouring of emotions (which incidentally led to a notable rise in the birth rate nine months later), the country is going through a severe case of soccer withdrawal.

The 12-week gap between the end of the last Bundesliga season on May 19 and the start of the new season on August 10 seems excruciatingly long this year — the first summer in Germany without footy since 2003.

Euro 2004, the Confederations Cup and the World Cup all gave German soccer fans plenty of action the last three Junes to watch, talk and read about.

Soccer’s appeal in Germany was spread far beyond the traditional fan base thanks to the buzz around coach Juergen Klinsmann, who led Germany to third place in both the 2005 Confederations Cup and last year’s World Cup with a refreshing emphasis on attack.

The memories are pleasant but they seem to be causing acute distress.

Some newspapers with no soccer to write about have resorted to publishing daily summaries of what was going on “a year ago today” during the World Cup. Crowds of up to 10,000 have turned out to watch training sessions at middle-of-the-table Bundesliga clubs. Other fans have sought to satisfy their needs by watching night-time broadcasts of the Copa America.

Otherwise, with well over a month remaining until “der Ball rollt wieder” (the ball rolls again), Germans will have to pursue alternative entertainment. Perhaps there will be another blip higher in the birth rate next March…

Erik Kirschbaum, Berlin