Germany's football stars have been warned to expect to wear bullet-proof vests at next summer's World Cup in South Africa.
The head of a security firm said players, like Michael Ballack, would need such protection if they ventured away from the team's Pretoria hotel amid safety fears.
Guenter Schnelle from BaySecur said: "The possibility for the players of moving outside of the hotel boundaries should be kept to a minimum."
"Otherwise there must be a full escort: armed security guards and bullet-proof vests for the players," he told German magazine Sport-Bild.
BaySecur looks after the German Football Federation (DFB) and their guests when the national team plays away from Germany.
It is one of the firms expected to be employed by the DFB while the team is involved in the tournament which begins on June 11.
The final will be held on July 11 at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium.
The DFB is already looking to step up security around the team's five-star hotel and is set to recruit 20 extra security guards.
There are also worries about security at the Brazil World Cup in 2014.
Due to the high crime rates in South Africa, the DFB is taking no risks, its security boss Helmut Spahn has said.
Private bodyguards will protect the players both in and around the Velmore Grande hotel in the province of Gauteng.
"We will probably use more personnel than we would normally have," said Mr Spahn, who will spend four days in South Africa next week looking at security arrangements.
"We need to first of all get an idea of what security arrangements are already in place for both the team and the media.
"Then we will decide whether to improve the security measures or whether they are sufficient."
According to Mr Spahn, there is little chance the DFB will rely only on local security guards in South Africa and Germany's federal police force are in talks with the DFB on the issue.
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