Page "Germany national football team" Paragraph 11

The Saar protectorate, otherwise known as Saarland, was split from Germany and put under French control between 1947 and 1956.

Saarland did not want to join French organisations and was barred from participating in pan-German ones.

Thus, they sent separate teams to the 1952 Summer Olympics and also to the 1954 World Cup qualifiers, when Saarland finished below West Germany but above Norway in their qualification group, having won in Oslo.

Legendary coach Helmut Schön was the manager of the Saarland team from 1952 until 1957, when the territory acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany.

He went on to coach the championship-winning team of the 1970s.