Torsten Klaus Frings is a German former footballer, and a manager who most recently managed Darmstadt 98.
A former midfielder, throughout his career he played for several German clubs, namely Alemannia Aachen, Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich, before ending his career with Canadian MLS side Toronto FC. At international level, he played 79 matches for the Germany national team since his debut in 2001, and represented his nation at two European Championships and two FIFA World Cups.
Frings was later also called up to Germany's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil. On 9 June 2006, Frings scored Germany's fourth goal in a 4–2 win against Costa Rica in the opening match of the World Cup, with a powerful drive from more than 30 yards.
Following Germany's penalty shootout victory over 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. After reviewing video footage of the brawl, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee determined that Frings had punched Argentine forward 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 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 in the bronze medal match.
