The Hindu : Sport / Football : `Kaiser' unveils golden ball

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 19, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

`Kaiser' unveils golden ball

BERLIN: A golden ball will be used at the World Cup final on July 9, organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer said on Tuesday.

"It only surprises me that no one thought of it before," Beckenbauer said at a bizarre ceremony at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, where he removed a golden wrap off the 2.2-metre diameter ball with help from gold-painted Greek warriors.

"The final is such a special occasion for the players, the coaches and the fans around the world. Creating a special ball for this match, the most important match every four years, was a great idea." added the `Kaiser'.

Adidas chairman Herbert Hainer said the golden ball would be identical to those used throughout the month-long tournament in Germany except six of the 14 panels would be coloured gold.

Start of a tradition

"We would definitely like to see this as the start of a new tradition for the final match," he told Reuters. "We'll do this again but try to come up with something special for each final."

The sets of 15 balls for each match at the tournament that runs from June 9 to July 9 will for the first time have the names of the teams, venue, date and kickoff time.

They will all be made in Thailand, with the exception of the 15 balls for the final, which will be produced in Germany.

Sixth sponsor

Meanwhile in Zurich FIFA said, Emirates Airline had agreed to pay $195 million to become FIFA's sixth and final major sponsor.

The agreement, which runs for eight years from 2007, covers all FIFA competitions. Emirates' largest ever sponsorship deal places it alongside Visa, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Sony and Hyundai among FIFA's top backers for the period.

Emirates Airline will be the official carrier for tournaments including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the 2014 edition. — Agencies

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