Historic global FIFA World Cup? Trophy Tour to start in Accra on 6 January

Zurich, 5 January 2005  -  The maiden edition of the global FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola will get underway this Friday, 6 January, with an official opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana in the presence of Ghana’s President John Agyekum Kufour and Abedi Pele Ayew, a former African football icon and member of the FIFA Football Committee. The official kick-off day will be followed by a public day offering football fans the unique chance to get a close-up look at the authentic FIFA World Cup Trophy. Free tickets for each stop are made available to consumers through local promotions in the respective countries.

It is the first time that the real, solid gold trophy will be making a tour around the world, visiting 31 cities in 28 countries over a three-month stretch ending in Rome, Italy on 10 April 2006. It will mark the most extensive exhibition yet of the authentic FIFA World Cup Trophy, a prize that, in the past, has rarely been seen in public. The tour is an example of football breaking down barriers. The itinerary will include countries well known for their passion and others where the sport’s foothold might not be as obvious – and where the chance to see football’s most prized possession is decidedly rare. The global tour will be followed by a national tour through Germany to pay tribute to the host of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. All necessary information on the many stops can be found in the “Fun and Games” section on www.FIFAworldcup.com.

“This tour will take the rarely seen trophy – the jewel in the crown of world football – to fans around the world with the aim of spreading happiness and hope to the make the world a better place. With this move, we are acknowledging the extraordinary contributions of football fans and want to enable them to share their passion for the beautiful game of football with their fellow countrymen, an experience they would otherwise never have. We are pleased that we are joining forces with
Coca-Cola to stage the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour and are really excited,” commented FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. ”The unifying power of the FIFA World Cup is reflected in the iconic gold trophy," said E. Neville Isdell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. ”We are honoured and privileged to share, in an historic way, that sense of unity with millions of football fans around the world.”

The world’s most famous and coveted trophy has recently been renovated by its original creator, Silvio Gazzaniga, in Milan, Italy. In the early 1970s, FIFA commissioned a new trophy for the tenth FIFA World Cup™ in 1974. Gazzaniga described his creation thus: ”The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. The figures of two athletes rise from the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture at the stirring moment of victory.”

The FIFA World Cup Trophy cannot be won outright, as the regulations state that it must remain in FIFA’s possession. The FIFA World Cup™ winners retain it only for a specified period and are then awarded a replica that is gold-plated, rather than solid gold bearing a plaque with the year, host and winner. The authentic, one-of-a-kind FIFA World Cup Trophy is 36.8 centimetres (14.5 inches) high, 6,175 grammes (13.61 pounds) in weight, and made of solid, 18-carat gold. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup™ winner since 1974.

FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour Schedule
06 January, 2006   Accra, Ghana
11 January, 2006   Lagos, Nigeria
14 January, 2006   Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
17 January, 2006   Johannesburg, South Africa

20 January, 2006   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
22 January, 2006   Sao Paulo, Brazil
25 January, 2006   Mar del Plata, Argentina
28 January, 2006   Quito, Ecuador
31 January, 2006   Bogotá, Colombia
04 February, 2006   Asunción, Paraguay

08 February, 2006   San Jose, Costa Rica
11 February, 2006   Mexico City, Mexico
13 February, 2006   Monterrey, Mexico
17 February, 2006   Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
20 February, 2006   Los Angeles, USA

25 February, 2006   Tokyo, Japan
28 February, 2006   Seoul, Korea
03 March, 2006   Singapore
06 March, 2006   Jakarta, Indonesia
09 March, 2006   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
12 March, 2006   Bangkok, Thailand
15 March, 2006   Beijing, China
17 March, 2006   Shanghai, China

20 March, 2006   Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

23 March, 2006   London, England
26 March, 2006   Zurich, Switzerland
29 March, 2006   Rostow, Russia
01 April, 2006    Kiev, Ukraine
04 April, 2006    Istanbul, Turkey
07 April, 2006    Athens, Greece
10 April, 2006    Rome, Italy