Former Germany goalkeeping trainer Sepp Maier on Monday criticised coach Juergen Klinsmann, the man who fired him last month, for demoting Oliver Kahn and giving Arsenal's Jens Lehmann an equal shot at the position.

"Ever since Klinsmann showed up Oliver can only lose," Maier told the Munich Abendzeitung newspaper, voicing his opposition to Klinsmann's plan to let Kahn and Lehmann battle it out for the number one spot until early 2006, the year Germany host the World Cup.

"It's a load of nonsense," said Maier, goalkeeper in West Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning team.

"It reminds me of Erich Ribbeck," he said, referring to the Germany trainer fired in 2000 after just two years and a poor record of 10 wins in 24 games. "He also had this absurd idea of a '1a' and a '1b'."

Klinsmann has said he will not make a decision until six months before the World Cup tournament begins in June 2006.

Kahn's club Bayern Munich have begged Klinsmann to scrap those plans, saying they put their keeper under pressure and led to his last-minute blunder in Bayern's 1-0 home defeat against Juventus in the Champions League last week.

Kahn later blamed a wet ball and grass plus a bad bounce.

Lehmann fans have also jeered Kahn in recent Bundesliga matches.

Maier, Kahn's coach at Bayern, said Lehmann had a strategic advantage even though he insisted Kahn was the better keeper.

"He's coming from the number two position he's had for years," Maier said. "Everyone's just waiting now at every match to see who makes a mistake. That's not the right way to go."

Lehmann, 34, has 20 caps while 35-year-old Kahn has 74. Kahn was their best players in Germany's run to the 2002 World Cup final but has since made a number of high-profile errors.

Former Germany coach Rudi Voeller gave Kahn special status as captain and number one despite his erratic performances.

Klinsmann, a fan of the English Premier League, stripped Kahn of the captaincy and said Lehmann had an equal chance.

Lehmann, superb in Germany's 2-0 win over Iran in a friendly international last month, will be in goal against Cameroon in Leipzig on November 17.