German coach Jurgen Klinsmann played for Tottenham Hotspur

The British Embassy in Berlin has set up a website to explain this and more to the estimated 100,000 England fans going to next year's World Cup finals.

The site has translations of necessary football phrases such as "sick as a parrot" and "nutmeg" alongside more typical travel tips and city guides.

Embassy spokesman Jonathan Brenton said he hoped to entertain the fans as well as getting serious information across.

The English fans are expected to be the second largest group attending the tournament - second only to the Germans themselves.

USEFUL PHRASES Abseitsstellung - offside Uebergluecklich - Over the moon Er verpasste seinem Gegner einen Beinschuss - He nutmegged his opponent Ihm war kotzuebel - Sick as a parrot Source: British embassy

As well as setting up the website the embassy has also designated a member of its staff to be a "football attache".

Mr Brenton said he expected the British and German fans to be united by their "football-crazy" attitude and fondness for bizarre football phraseology.

"In England, if you say 'it's a game of two halves', everyone understands what you mean. The Germans say 'the ball is round' to mean the same thing. Neither makes any sense, but everyone knows what you mean."

The Foreign Office has earmarked an extra �500,000 and 20 extra staff to cover the costs of dealing with the influx.

British ambassador Peter Torry labelled the tournament "the world's biggest party".

"Next year's World Cup will be a fantastic chance for the England team, the England fans and for all who love football to get to know Germany better," he said.