Euro 2008

By Kevin Fylan

TENERO, Switzerland, June 4 (Reuters) - German FA president Theo Zwanziger justified a massive spending increase on the Euro 2008 squad on Wednesday, saying: 'If you want to milk the cow, you have to feed it'.

Germany are paying out about 1.6 million euros ($2.50 million) on hotel costs alone for their training base, according to German media, while player bonuses could be as high as 250,000 euros a man, or 5.75 million in total.

Local newspapers have estimated the entire budget for Euro 2008 at about 20 million euros.

Zwanziger, speaking at a news conference at the team's training complex in the Italian part of Switzerland, did not confirm the figures but said any investment would be worth it.

"We have to invest if we want a top team," Zwanziger said. "It's not a bunch of school kids visiting a youth hostel.

"When the team is successful we get highly lucrative TV and sponsorship contracts. You have to feed the cow up well or you won't be able to milk it."

Germany are staying at the five-star Il Giardino hotel in Ascona on Lake Maggiore, despite the fact that their matches in the group phase at least will all be in Austria.

Not content with just booking rooms, national team general manager Oliver Bierhoff arranged for rebuilding work to be carried out, to give the place a homelier feel.

"We've created islands of cosiness," Bierhoff said at the news conference. "We wanted to make sure the players don't spend all their free time in their rooms but come downstairs where they will find comfortable rooms instead of just a lobby."

Germany play their first Group B match against Poland in Klagenfurt on Sunday before facing Croatia and co-hosts Austria.