Editing Torsten Frings (section)

==International career==
Frings represented Germany at the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] in Japan and South Korea,<ref name="Not All Is Lost for U.S.">{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jun/22/sports/sp-worldcup22/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910072212/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jun/22/sports/sp-worldcup22/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 September 2016|title=Not All Is Lost for U.S.|work=Los Angeles Times|author1=Grahame L. Jones|date=22 June 2002|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref> where the German team reached the [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|final]], only to be defeated 2–0 by [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]].<ref name="Happy Birthday to you!">{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/news/y=2014/m=11/news=happy-birthday-to-you-2475131.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222114032/http://www.fifa.com/news/y=2014/m=11/news=happy-birthday-to-you-2475131.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2015|title=Happy Birthday to you!|publisher=FIFA|date=16 November 2014|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref> During the tournament, he was part of a controversial call when he prevented a goal with his hand on the goal line in the quarter-final match against the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]];<ref>{{cite news | url = http://thebiglead.com/2014/06/26/usa-vs-germany-the-ghost-of-torsten-frings/ | title = USA vs. Germany: The Ghost of Torsten Frings | access-date = 1 August 2014}}</ref> the referee deemed the handball involuntary, however.<ref name="Not All Is Lost for U.S."/> Frings also took part at [[UEFA Euro 2004]] and at the [[2005 FIFA Confederations Cup]] on home soil, winning a bronze medal in the latter tournament.<ref name="Happy Birthday to you!"/>

Frings was later also called up to Germany's squad for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] on home soil.<ref name="Happy Birthday to you!"/> On 9 June 2006, Frings scored Germany's fourth goal in a 4–2 win against [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] in the opening match of the World Cup, with a powerful drive from more than 30 yards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4852498.stm|title=Germany 4–2 Costa Rica|work=BBC Sport|date=9 June 2006|access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref>

Following Germany's penalty shootout victory over [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] on 30 June 2006, Frings was fined and suspended by [[FIFA]] for two games (one of which is subject to a six-month probationary period) for his role in the brawl that broke out between the Argentine and German teams after the match.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=16350.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100430143521/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=16350.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 April 2010 | title = Frings missing but Germany remain confident | date = 4 July 2006 | access-date =29 March 2009 | publisher=FIFA}}</ref> After reviewing video footage of the brawl, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee determined that Frings had punched Argentine forward [[Julio Ricardo Cruz|Julio Cruz]] and levelled punishment accordingly, even though Cruz himself had denied that Frings punched him; the second game of the suspension was made probationary due to the Committee's determination that Frings had been provoked into fighting. This suspension decision, announced by FIFA only the day before Germany's semi-final versus [[Italy national football team|Italy]] on 4 July 2006, rendered Frings unavailable for the important match – which Germany subsequently lost; Germany finished the tournament in third place after defeating [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] in the bronze medal match.<ref name="Happy Birthday to you!"/>

The controversy of the decision was also sparked by the fact that Frings' role in the brawl had been widely accentuated in the Italian media after FIFA had already announced it closed its investigations against German players. Frings answered to the accusations in an interview: "This is all politics. The Argentinians attack us, I defend myself and the Italians get worked up. With this suspension, FIFA just wanted to show that Germany doesn't get special treatment as the World Cup hosts."

Frings was also called up to Germany's [[UEFA Euro 2008|Euro 2008]] squad, which reached the [[UEFA Euro 2008 Final|final]] of the tournament only to be defeated by [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]],<ref name="Happy Birthday to you!"/> but was later not included in the team for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]] by German coach [[Joachim Löw]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nola.com/sportsflash/index.ssf?/base/sports-194/1264006903169390.xml&storylist=soccer | title = Loew tells Frings he won't be going to World Cup | date = 20 January 2010 | access-date =22 January 2010 | work=nola.com}}</ref> He played his last international match on 11 February 2009 in a 0–1 home defeat against [[Norway national football team|Norway]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Norway upset adds to Germany's soccer woes |url=http://www.dw.de/norway-upset-adds-to-germanys-soccer-woes/a-4021321 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |agency=Deutsche Presse-Agentur |date=11 February 2009 |access-date=9 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/frings-intl.html | title = Torsten Frings – Goals in International matches | author = Matthias Arnhold | date = 19 May 2011 | access-date = 19 May 2011 | publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation}}</ref> In total, he earned 79 caps for Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.torontofc.ca/news/tfc-captain-torsten-frings-retires|title=TFC Captain Torsten Frings Retires|publisher=Toronto FC|author1=Mike Ulmer|date=26 February 2013|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref>