Germany soccer sending security chief to SAfrica

German soccer federation sending security chief to inspect facilities in South Africa

(AP)  FRANKFURT (AP) - The German soccer federation is sending its security chief to South Africa to inspect the team's headquarters at the 2010 World Cup.

It will decide if any extra security measures are needed before South Africa hosts the World Cup in June.

Helmut Spahn, the federation's official in charge of security, will travel to South Africa at the end of the week and be based near Pretoria.

Federation spokesman Harald Stenger said Wednesday that any security would have to be cleared by FIFA and the South African organizers.

The German team is often accompanied at major tournaments by one or two officers from the Federal Crime Office, the German equivalent of the FBI. Bodyguards also regularly accompany the team.