umm...let me try to explain it the best i can When we say Germany is a big economy, or Germany is a big country , it is ok. Probably because we are talking about millions of people there and lots of other abstract things that can not be counted. However, when we know that a bunch of footballers belonging to Germany, who can be counted like 1 2 3 , are playing against another team, it is NOT wrong to say Germany are playing......Maybe in this case, Germany means those footballers who can be counted. Well, this is my explanation. so, i stand firm on my first statement (not on the logic though)