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World Cup 2006 News

2004 | 2005 | 2006

England Camp Set

20 December 2005

It was announced that the England team will be based next June at the Schlosshotel Buhlerhohe, a four-star hotel in the Black Forest. The hotel is near the resort town of Baden-Baden, and England officials are thrilled.

"It is so important that we have the right base camp as this will be the players' home and set the atmosphere as we prepare for all of our games," said coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"We have already identified a training ground five minutes from the hotel," he continued.

The hotel, moreover, is conveniently located close to all of England's group stage fixtures.

"We are within a good travelling distance to the venues we have been drawn to play against during the group phase," Eriksson said.

"Additionally, we have the beautiful spa town of Baden-Baden only a few miles away which has a marvellous atmosphere with some wonderful restaurants and cafes.

"Hopefully this hotel will be the launch pad for us to achieve success in Germany."

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World Cup Draw

9 December 2005

The official draw took place in Leipzig. The 32 teams have now been placed in groups; all that remains is for the Cup to begin. Host Germany, Brazil, Spain, and France were drawn into relatively easy groups. Argentina, Holland, and the US face hard going in June. Round of 16 hopeful Japan has a very hard task in front of it.

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Stadiums Cracking Up

8 December 2005

In the latest in a series of problems to affect Germany's World Cup stadiums, Bundesliga side Kausterslautern were forced to postpone last Saturday's league match against Eintracht Frankfurt when cracks were discovered in the recently renovated, 85-year-old Fritz Walter Stadium. Eintracht Frankfurt's own Waldstadion sprung a leak in its roof during this summer's Confederations Cup and cracks have also been discovered in Nuremberg's Frankentadion. US$1.76 billion have been spent so far on building and renovating the 12 stadiums for World Cup '06.

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Official Ball

7 December 2005

German mega-firm Adidas plans to cash in on the Germany 2006 soccer World Cup by selling 10 million official balls. According to CEO Herbert Hainer, "We sold almost six million of the 2002 World Cup ball, more than six million of the 2004 European Championships ball and we aim to sell 10 million of the Germany (2006) ball."

Hainer would not discuss the design of the official ball, which will be unveiled in Leipzig on Friday. However, he said it would be "better suited for South American soccer players" and fly "more accurately than other balls."

"The ball is softer, it allows better control than ever. That's what most players want, particularly the South Americans." Moreover, "It's totally inured against external influences," he said.

Though FIFA has ruled out using "smartball" technology at this World Cup, Hainer said a ball partly designed by Adidas containing a tiny microchip would eventually be adopted. The "smartball" is designed to rule out incorrect calls on goal-line decisions and was given a test-run at the World Under-17 Championship in Peru earlier this year.

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World Cup Seeds

6 December 2005

POT ONE Germany (hosts) Brazil (holders) Argentina England France Italy Mexico Spain
POT TWO Australia Angola Ghana Ivory Coast Togo Tunisia Ecuador Paraguay
POT THREE Croatia Czech Republic The Netherlands Poland Portugal Sweden Switzerland Ukraine
POT FOUR Iran Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea Costa Rica Trinidad & Tobago USA
Special pot: Serbia & Montenegro

The seeding system was based on each team's results from the last two World Cups - when the competition expanded to 32 teams - and FIFA's World ranking for the last three years. Brazil were seeded first, followed by England in second place. Japan was 12th.

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The Spectre of Hooliganism

5 December 2005

Ahead of the World Cup, German officials are hyper-sensitive to any possibility of hooliganism. They have long vowed that there will be no trouble during the tournament; however, on Saturday at a Bundesliga match SV Hamburg's Alexander Laas had blood pouring from his head after being hit by missiles thrown from the crowd.

Trouble started when visiting Cologne fans threw objects onto the field during the match. Following post-goal celebrations in the second half, Cologne fans reacted angrily. Plastic cups and other objects rained onto the pitch, one of which struck Laas.

"I went to celebrate with my teammates and got hit by a hard object," recalled the midfielder.

Referee Jochen Drees stopped play, but Laas stayed on in the match after being bandaged up.

"It should not happen particularly with the World Cup in Germany just around the corner," said Hamburg striker Sergei Barbarez. The Hamburg Arena is one of the World Cup venues. Cologne is also a host city.

In other recent indicents, German fans rioted during a friendly match at Slovenia in March, and then again in September's friendly in Slovakia. Closer to home, in late November, groups of German and Polish hooligans battled in Briesen to establish who would control the streets ahead of the World Cup finals.

40,000 Working Girls Expected for Cup

28 November 2005

In preparation for next June’s World Cup, prostitutes are descending upon Germany in droves. Artemis, Berlin’s newest brothel, recently opened close to the capital’s venue for the World Cup. Six matches, including the Final, will be held here. Hundreds of thousands of fans will be in attendance a mere three subway stops away.

In addition to fans, German organizers are preparing for some 40,000 sex workers to be in Germany for the month of the tournament. Many of the women will be imported from abroad, and as prostitution is legal in Germany, many scoff that the above figure is far too low. One brothel owner said that it is going to be an “invasion.”

Artemis, normally open from 11 pm to 5 am, plans to be open 24-hours a day for the duration of the World Cup.

Some women’s and church groups, though, fear that many of the women will have been forced into the work and plan on setting up booths around the stadiums asking fans to at least consider their plight. "We have nothing against prostitutes or prostitution," said Henny Engels, one activist. "But we are against people trafficking and forced prostitution. It's already a big problem in Germany. We want to use the World Cup to make our point."

Others are more relaxed about the issue. "Berlin is a very world-open city. It's always been like that. There have been prostitutes working here for hundreds of years," says Martina Schmidhofer, a Green Party councilor responsible for sexual health issues. "Our main concern is that the prostitutes have good working conditions. My message to fans would be: 'Behave sensibly, don't drink too much, use a condom. And don't expect a love relationship.’"

FA: England to Finalize Baden-Baden Training Cup Arrangements

24 November 2005

The English Football Association will finalize arrangements for England's pre-World Cup training camp this week. The English team is expected to be staying in the German spa town of Baden-Baden.

Contracts with the luxury Schlosshotel hotel have been made, with the team scheduled to arrive a week prior the opening game of the tournament on June 9. Baden-Baden is one of Europe's best known resort areas, and has a race track, world famous golf course, and one of the oldest casinos in Europe.

Before leaving for Germany, the squad will spend two weeks at a "warm-weather training camp" to acclimatize. England will also play two friendly internationals in England in late May and early June.

Brazil: Castrop-Rauxel or Bust Come June

11 November 2005

A former coal-mining town west of Dortmund will, according to the Bild newspaper, play host to Brazil during next summer's World Cup. The daily said the Brazil team would be staying at a deluxe hotel in Castrop-Rauxel, population 80,000. The town has agreed to pay Brazil 500,000 euros ($585,100) for the right to have the boys stay there.

A anonymous Brazil spokesman was quoted as saying. "We are definitely going to be based near Dortmund. That's where we got the most lucrative offer from." Emphasis on the word near.

Brazil, which won the World Cup for a fifth time in South Korea and Japan in 2002, is the number one draw for German towns and fierce bidding took place. The team, for example, drew huge crowds during its training sessions in June for the Confederations Cup.

Castrop-Rauxel is about 9 km, or 6 miles, from Dortmund, which is one of the main venues for the World Cup. It is also a mere 73 km down the road from Cologne, where most of the Brazilian fans will be staying. Cologne was the odds on favorite to be the World Cup champion's base, but was outbid by the small town.

Other teams have also announced where they will be based for the tournament. The United States announced in October that its squad will be based in Hamburg, delighting and terrifying local officials. Money will surely be made, but extra police and anti-terror measures will also have to be implemented.

Hosts Germany will be staying in Berlin while the Swedes will be in Bremen, Argentina in Herzogenaurach, and the Dutch in the in Black Forest town of Hinterzarten.

Team Hotels - Germany, Sweden, Netherlands

5 November 2005

The German team will stay at the Schlosshotel im Grunewald in Berlin. Sweden has decided to stay at the Park Hotel in Bremen, and the Netherlands has chosen the Parkhotel Adler in Hinterzarten near Freiburg. hotel.de offers a range of hotels for the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006.

ABC/ESPN & UNIVISION Awarded US Broadcasting Rights

3 November 2005

FIFA announced yeterday that it has reached an agreement with ABC/ESPN and UNIVISION concerning broadcasting rights for the US. The two networks were awarded the TV rights to all FIFA events broadcast in the US from 2007 to 2014. This contract is unprecedented in its length and will, of course, include rights to the two FIFA World Cup™ final competitions that fall in this period.

The agreement also broke new ground in financial terms: a record cash payment of USD 425 million to FIFA. In addition to the money, ABC/ESPN and UNIVISION also will promote FIFA events throughout the USA during the period of the contract.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said of the deal: "ABC/ESPN and UNIVISION came to us with a comprehensive package that will not only guarantee coverage of the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010 and 2014 and all other FIFA tournaments in the men's and women's games but also promote football and the FIFA brand even at those times when no tournaments are taking place. With these two well-known companies we have ensured that images of our events will be seen by the widest possible audience across the USA's steadily growing football market. I am extremely happy with this momentous deal. It is a major milestone in our new TV approach."

ABC Sports and ESPN won exclusive English language rights to cover both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup™ tournaments in the US territory, as well as the FIFA Women's World Cups in 2007 and 2011. ABC/ESPN will also broadcast 11 other FIFA events. UNIVISION, meanwhile, has been awarded the equivalent Spanish language options.

Tickets Update

30 October 2005

Franz Beckenbauer has declared that "Our World Cup stadiums shouldn't just be sold out. They should also be full." In order to make this happen, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (OC), with a nod of approval from FIFA, is offering fans another chance of securing tickets, via an offer to purchase conditional tickets between November 2-30, 2005.

These so-called conditional tickets will be sold online in November. Buyers can select up to seven matches for which they are given priority in the event that a ticket is returned. The buyer will, according to organizers, only have to pay for a one ticket to one of the selected matches. The OC will permit a maximum of one ticket per person, and up to three people accompanying him (or four total).

Details:

· A waiting list of all applicants will be created to determine the order in which tickets that are returned are distributed. Priority is given to applicants who did not get tickets in the first sale phase, or for those customers whose TST series were rendered invalid due to the country's failure to qualify.

· To give applicants an idea of the number of seats available at a given match, the colors green, yellow and red will appear online to indicate that the conditional tickets available for a given match are plentiful, in short supply, or sold out.

· Conditional ticket applications will be processed before the match tickets go on public sale in the fourth and fifth sales phases.

· Succesful purchase of a conditional ticket does not preclude purchase of any other tickets in all further sales phases. However, should the applicant be successful in a later phase, "duplicate matches from the selected list in the conditional ticket application will be deleted, potentially resulting in the deletion of the entire application." Refunds will be made in this case. There will be a non-refundable fee of €5 per person, payable with the conditional ticket application.

Papal Blessing

25 October 2005

The German pope, Benedict XVI, has bestowed his blessing on the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament.

In return, the Pope has invited Franz Beckenbauer, head of the 2006 Fifa World Cup organizing committee, to visit him at the Vatican. Unlike his predecessor, who was an avid fan, Benedict XVI hs hitherto shown little interest in soccer. He will meet Beckenbauer and other leading German football officials.

Speaking about the visit to the Vatican, a spokesman for the German organizing committee said: "The Pope is a Bavarian. Franz Beckenbauer is a Bavarian. They know each other."

On whether the blessing might give the German team "an unfair advantage," the spokesman continued: "The audience is only likely to last five or 10 minutes. It's not a blessing as such but a general papal audience. The Pope will simply say hello."

Beckenbauer said: "We were relatively late in asking the Vatican for a meeting with the Holy Father, so we are extremely grateful and delighted that it has been made possible." Beckbenbauer will join officials from 31 countries that have qualified for the World Cup.

The draw for the opening rounds of the World Cup will occur on Dec. 9 in Leipzig.

Terrorism Threat?

18 October 2005

As at the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan authorities in Germany are gearing up for the double threat of terrorism and hooliganism. With thousands of ticketless fans gathering in city centers to watch the games on big screens, police fear such events could make for soft terrorist targets as well as potential flashpoints for hooliganism. Police chiefs expect at least 25,000 ticketless English fans to congregate in the cities where England's games will be held. As for the threat of terror, though undeniably a worry, it would appear something of an own goal if al Qaeda were to disrupt the tournament what with three countries from the Muslim world taking part: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Tunisia with perhaps Turkey to follow, plus massive interest in the game throughout the Islamic world.

The British Are Coming

10 October 2005

German police are preparing for an invasion of more than 100,000 English football supporters next summer after David Beckham and company qualified for the World Cup last week. As in past tournaments there will be bans preventing the worst troublemakers from making the trip. In addition, British cops will be in Germany for the Cup.

Unlike the 8,000 mostly peaceful supporters who made the trip to Japan and South Korea in 2002, a massive tide of British fandom is expeted to flood Germany for several weeks in June 2006. Jonathan Brenton, the spokesman for the British embassy in Berlin, said: "We expect an Easyjet bonanza with thousands of fans coming across on cheap flights."

"After the Germans, England will have the largest group of followers of any nation," said David Swift, the deputy chief constable of Staffordshire and the cop charged with keeping order. Among other measures, there will be 3,100 banning orders, and 29 specialist football units are building up intelligence on 943 identified targets. Watches on ports and airports, moreover, will also be stepped up.

Swift emphasized, however, that the police are going to be working with the fans: "We are also doing a massive amount of work with the fans, encouraging self-policing. We are trying to influence the majority to seize the moral high ground and to marginalise and isolate the less desirable elements."

Despite this optimism, and the example of Euro2004--in which there was little trouble--many remain worried. First and foremost is the mutual anitpathy among English and German fans.

The greatest ray of hope is the simple fact that most England supporters will have a hard time getting match tickets to see games. The English Football Association was only allocated 8% of seats.

There are two possible problems with this thesis, though. First is that fans will go without tickets and scalp. Also, with the qualification of many nations--Togo, Angola, Paraguay, Eduador, Ghana, etc.--whose fans will not be able to make the trip, British fans are hopeful that tickets alloted to the Ecuadorans will find their way back onto the market.

FIFA Issues Phishing Scam Warning

29 September 2005

FIFA has issued a warning to soccer fans around the world that its name is being used in an online scam. A number of lottery companies are sending unsolicited mail announcing that email recipients have won a FIFA endorsed lottery and asking for personal data including bank account information and credit card numbers. The phishing scams are thought to be connected with individuals in Spain, South Africa and Britain. In May a variant of the Sober worm was unleased on soccer fans in Germany with the promise of tickets for the World Cup.

Play-offs

8 October 2005

The draw for play-offs in the European zone qualifiers takes place in Zurich, Switzerland 14 October. The six teams will be divided into two pots for the draw based on their FIFA rankings for September - one pot the higher ranked teams the other for the lower ranked.

Passion Play

29 September 2005

The director of the Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria, Christian Stueckl, will present a short show featuring 2,000 performers preceding the opening game of of the 2006 World Cup to be held in Munich June 9, when Germany kicks off its World Cup campaign. The official World Cup opening ceremony will be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on June 8.

Artemis Brothel To Open Near Berlin Stadium

24 September 2005

The "Artemis" brothel near the Olympic Stadium in Berlin (see previous story below), is set to open in time for the 2006 World Cup and become the largest brothel in Germany, according to its owners. The four-storey building complete with pool, sauna and even a cinema can accommodate up to 650 men and 100 women. The rooms are themed - much in the way of a Japanese Love Hotel - Cleopatra's Egypt and Renaissance Tuscany are two such inspirations. Customers can progress from the bottom-floor pool to the bar and then up to the top floor and the private rooms. Commercial sex workers will pay 85 USD to occupy a room for up to three months - the fee including free food and gym access. Clients will pay an entrance fee and then pay the women directly for sexual services.

England & Australia Vie For 2018 World Cup

19 September 2005

Having just finished an epic struggle on the cricket field England and Australia are in direct competition again - this time in a race to host the 2018 World Cup. England believes that its successful bid for the 2012 Olympics will see the tournament held in England for the first time since 1966 when the host nation actually lifted the cup and Australia hope to stage the tournament for the first time.

King Kahn? Or Lehmann? Who will be in net for Germany?

4 September 2005

Coach Juergen Klinsmann has resolved to keep Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann as far apart as humanly possible--but, amazingly, even this has not stopped the war of words among the two prima donna goaltenders.

Klinsmann has stated that he will rotate the two keepers in upcoming friendly internationals this season. He will then decide next May who will be in the net for host Germany.

Lehmann will be in net against Slovakia and South Africa, and the Arsenal star used the platform to get in a few digs: "I'm sure I'll be in goal (at the World Cup)," the 35-year-old told Germany's Bild newspaper. "It could always happen that I play the first three games, then get a red card, but I'm sure I'll be playing."

Former Germany captain and Bayern Munich star Kahn, meanwhile, was none too happy with Lehmann: "It is astonishing how disrespectful it is to bring this up again," Kahn told the same newspaper. "The rules don't seem to have any meaning for him."

The drama contimues to unfold, and will not reach its denouement until May.

Goaline Technology Proposed

2 September 2005

New technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line may be introduced if a pilot scheme at this month's Under-17 world championship in Peru proves successful, according to FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter. The technology will also be used along the touchlines to indicate whether the ball is out of play. The new system works with Adidas' new "smartball" which is equipped with electronic chips that transmit a signal to the referee when the ball crosses the line. Blatter also promised a big improvement in the standard of refereeing at the 2006 World Cup after several dubious decisions at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Referees will be grouped in threes from the same country or confederation.

Germany Mulls Flights Ban

11 August 2005

Germany may decide to implement flight bans over its World Cup stadiums as a security measure against possible terrorist attacks, according to German Interior Minister Otto Schily. Any such bans would be problematic as some venues including Frankfurt are close to international airports. Both Japan and Korea considered banning flights over their stadiums at the 2002 World Cup.

Brothel

July 29 2005

A German company is proposing to open a 60-room brothel called "Artemis" complete with 100 prostitutes, jacuzzi, sauna, cinema and restaurant near the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in September. Prostitution is legal in Germany in designated areas under certain conditions. Dortmund also plans to open drive-in wooden "sex garages" prior to the finals, according to Reuters news agency, in an attempt to keep the sex trade off the streets. Berlin's gay mayor Klaus Wowereit is opposed to the "Artemis" project.

Ex-pats Fuel Confederations Cup Atmosphere

23 June 2005

The large number of ex-patriot foreign nationals living in Germany have improved the atmosphere at games in this year's Confederations Cup and given a fore-taste of what is to come next year. According to Reuters news agency there are 4,725 Argentine nationals living in Germany, 7,879 Australians, 315,989 Greeks, 27,550 Japanese, 7,092 Mexicans, 22,420 Tunisians as well as 1.7 million Turkish citizens.

FIFA To Reimburse Bank charges

3 June 2005

It appears FIFA will reimburse bank charges paid by fans who ordered tickets in the first phase of World Cup ticket sales, following a complaint by Which? - the consumer watchdog.

Bobbies in Berlin?

23 May 2005

British and German authorities are in discussions over whether to deploy uniformed British police at England matches in Germany to help defuse tensions by provising "a familiar presence". Providing England qualify an estimated 50,000-80,000 England fans in addition to over 20,000 British troops are expected to be in Germany for the finals.

Huge Demand For TSTs

8 May 2005

The official FIFA World Cup ™ site -fifaworldcup.yahoo.com- reported that its ticket server received the amazing total of 9,000 hits per second when it opened for business May 2 at 12 o'clock midday Monday CEST. The server was still receiving 1,500 hits per second 24 hours later midday Tuesday. 13,771 successful applicants ordered 30,199 Team Specific Tickets (TSTs).

TST Sell Out

2 May 2005

In a little over an hour after the second sales phase of tickets opened most of the TSTs for likely qualifying countries have sold out: Iran, Croatia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Nigeria, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Serbia & Montenegro, Paraguay, Norway, Ecuador, Norway, Czech Republic, Croatia, Australia, Costa Rica, Poland, even Switzerland have gone. This is bound to fuel a growing feeling of anger from fans worldwide. The internet sales approach already rules out everyone with no or poor internet connections and there are rumours that certain ISPs were blocked by the main ticket sales server.

German World Cup

30 April 2005

With the second round of ticket sales due to start May 2 at 12 o'clock midday CEST (Central Europe Summer Time; GMT +2 hours) it appears the 2006 World Cup maybe be missing an important ingredient, namely supporters from the rest of the world! Unlike in 2002, citizens of the host nation have been allowed to apply for TST tickets (Team Specific Tickets) for all of Fifa's football nations, and the majority of these applications have been from inside Germany. This would have been impossible at Korea/Japan 2002 when citizens of Japan and Korea could only apply for their respective national team's TSTs and not TSTs for other countries. Already TSTs for England, Japan, USA, Argentina, Holland, Brazil, Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Portugal and Spain are unavailable.

Organizers v eBay

30 April 2005

Germany's World Cup organizing committee is in dispute with online marketplace eBay.de after tickets from the recently concluded first round of ticket sales appeared for sale on the eBay.de site. A bid of over 1000 Euros has been made for a semi-final ticket in Dortmund. DFB Vice President Horst Smidt promised to all he could "within the law" to prevent people buying these tickets from seeing any games.

World Cup Prize Money

27 April 2005

FIFA announced that it will raise total prize money at next year's World Cup finals to 332 million Swiss francs ($281.1 million). The 38 percent rise was announced at the soccer body's annual financial media conference on Tuesday.

According to insiders, the decision was made after FIFA saw its "liquid assets rise to 439 million Swiss francs."
Its annual profits for 2004 amounted to 158 million Swiss francs, which was an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year.

"We have taken another significant stride towards our goal of having equity of between 350 and 450 million Swiss francs by the end of 2006," said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. "That equity, together with the results we have already posted from marketing, will further strengthen FIFA's solid financial foundations."

Following the bankruptcy of ISL and Kirch, in 2001 and 2002, FIFA's tv rights partners for the 2002 World Cup, the organization has focused on increasing its liquid assets. "That was a noisy and unnecessary chapter in FIFA's history, but now we are looking forward with great, great optimism," continued Blatter. "We have learnt our lessons from the events of 2001 and 2002."

700,000 Fans Disappointed

23 April 2005

This week 700,000 fans around the world received an email with the dreaded words: "Due to the high demand for tickets for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany (TM), the ticket applications correctly processed and accepted had to be entered into a draw. Unfortunately, you have not been allocated any tickets for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany (TM)". 900,000 ticket applications were received from 195 countries for 8.7 million tickets. 208,455 fans were succesful in the lottery that was conducted on April 15 for the 812,000 tickets available in the first phase. Of these first phase tickets, 652,521 were sold as individual tickets, while the others are team-specific (TSTs).

Japan Football Association: Move Match from North Korea

16 April 2005

The Japan Football Association (JFA)'s head suggested in off-the-cuff remarks that the venue for the upcoming World Cup qualifier between Japan and North Korea ought to be changed. The match is scheduled for June 8 in Pyongyang, and JFA boss Saburo Kawabuchi voiced fears over a repeat of the violence that erupted when Iran played in the Hermit Kingdom: North Korean players roughed up a Syrian referee towards the end of the match for not granting a penalty, and, later, fans threw bottles and chairs after the loss to Iran.

Moreover, Japan is at the top of Dear Leader Kim il Jung's Least Favorite Places, and state-run media reminds North Koreans daily of Japan's wartime behavior and other misdeeds. This would set the stage for an out of control mob, fear many Japanese soccer officials.

Kawabuchi has suggested holding the match at a neutral venue, such as Malaysia. Other JFA officials however have downplayed Kawabuchi's remarks.

Ticket Demand: Fraud Uncovered

15 April 2005

World Cup ticket hopefuls got some good news today: a massive ticket-buying fraud has been uncovered and will thus give the average fan a slightly better chance at getting tickets. World Cup 2006 organizers discovered that a scam emanating out of the United States was attempting to buy millions of tickets illegally using automatic ordering.

The 812,000 tickets made available in the first two-month sales period were overbooked by a wide margin, as more than one million people around the world placed orders for some 12.3 million tickets.

However, within this total illegal orders for several million tickets were exposed, and those deleted prior to the draw that started on Friday at 8 am GMT.

According to German Organisers, the US-based scam used a computer ordering system in an attempt at buying more than two million tickets.

"We were able to detect an obvious attempt at manipulation," said World Cup organising committee vice-president Horst R. Schmidt. As a result of the detection, the remaining 900,000 orders for 8.7 million tickets were included in Friday's draw. Fans will learn on April 22 whether their applications have been successful. Then, in a second sales period, another 300,000 tickets will go on sale.

Ticket Demand: Massive

2 April 2005

More than a million people have applied for tickets for the 2006 World Cup. This is 12 times more than the available seats. Cup organizers made available 812,000 tickets for the two-month sales period that ended on March 31. Nearly a quarter of the applications came on the final day.

Tickets will be awarded on the basis of a lottery that starts on April 15. Fans will know by the end of April whether they have tickets or not. Demand has been greatest for the opening match, on June 9, and the Final, on July 9.

95% of the applications came via the Internet. For those who don't get tickets, tickets can be had through other ticket vendors. Soccerphile Ticket Affiliates.

North Korea

31 Mar 2005

North Korean fans in Pyongyang erupted into violence as their team again lost in a World Cup qualifier, this time to Iran. The violence represents a rare glimpse of what is possibly a non-officially sanctioned facet of North Korean society. After the match, the Iranian team was prevented from boarding its coach to return to the airport and riot police had to intervene. Iran won the match 2-0. In 2003 shrapnel hit a North Korean player during an Asian Nations Cup match. Perhaps the North Korean fans remember the incident and are incensed enough to brave censure for the Kim Jong Il regime. Another factor may have been the controversial sending off of a Korean player in the latest World Cup clash.

Hooliganism At Germany Slovenia Game

29 Mar 2005

In more bad news for the German Football Federation after the recent match-fixing scandal involving referee Robert Hoyzer, German hooligans went on the rampage before, during and after the national team's friendly match with Slovenia (won 1-0 by Germany) in Celje on Saturday. 50 fans were detained and 3 people injured.

Five people die after Iran beat Japan

26 Mar 2005

Five people were crushed to death in Teheran after the 100,000-plus crowd at the Iran v Japan match rushed to the exits. Iran beat Japan in the World Cup qualifying match 2 - 1.

German Bonus

26 Mar 2005

If the German team wins next year's World Cup each player is set to receive a US$390,000 bonus, more than triple the offer for 2002. Just getting to the final will be worth US$195,000, with US$65,000 on offer for a quarter-final finish.

England to Play Friendlies in US

14 Mar 2005

28 May 2005. 2pm Central Time (CT).
USA v England at Soldier Field, Chicago.

31 May 2005. 4pm Eastern Time (ET).
Colombia v England at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Tickets go on sale Thursday 31 March 2005 at noon CT. Available from ussoccer.com, by telephone on 1312 559 1212, and Ticketmaster outlets (Tower Records, Hot Tix, Coconuts).

England last met the US national team in 1994, at Wembley. 2 – 0 to England.
In 1993, the US bested England in Foxboro by the same score.
The most famous match between the two teams was the 1 – 0 victory by the US over England in the 1950 World Cup in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. England were taking part in their first ever World Cup and were expected to beat the Americans by a wide margin. However, the US scored on a counter-attack and the much-vaunted England team could not find a way past the US keeper Frank Borghi. Probably the biggest upset in the history of international football; so much so, in fact, that it has been reported that the New York Times refused to print the result, claiming it was a hoax.

There is a new movie about the Americans' 1950 victory over England "The Game of Their Lives" to be released in the US April 22nd, 2005.
The photo above right is a still from the film.

Both team USA and England were quarter-finalists at the last World Cup in 2002 in Korea and Japan. In that competition, the US team won new friends for their refreshingly direct approach; England went out 1 – 2 to eventual winners Brazil on a very hot day in Shizuoka, Japan.

Women Told to Take Men's Kit Off

10 Mar 2005

After FIFA president Sepp Blatter last year controversially suggested women wear tight shorts, now it is the turn of the South African FA to encourage women to dress differently from men.

World Cup Ticket Credit Card Row

09 Mar 2005

Data Protection vs. World Cup Tickets 1 - 0

31 Feb 2005

Ticket Orders Top 2 million

24 Feb

Ticket orders for the 2006 World Cup have surpassed the two million mark. 320,000 applications have been made for a total of 2.2 million tickets for the 812,000 tickets available in the first application phase which runs from February 1 - March 31. "Some matches are overbooked, the final in particular, but we still have tickets for many of the group matches," said Horst R Schmidt, organising committee vice-president.

Ticketing Row

14 Feb 2005

1984 may have come and gone, but Big Brother is alive and well in the ticketing system devised for the World Cup in Germany. Tickets will include a chip that contains data such as oneçs name and passport number. Some human rights groups are protesting the inclusion of the chip. According to Thilo Weichert, an independent data protection officer, "The World Cup will be abused to stage a mega-surveillance project, that allows total control over football fans." It is possible that the information collection by the German FA is illegal. Additionally, there are questions concerning the ownership and use of certain tickets in the case of illness.

German Magazine: “Soccer World Cup ticket sales Illegal”

7 Feb 2005

Spiegel Online, the online edition of one of Germany's leading weekly news magazines, writes that German consumer groups have sent the German Football Association (DFB) a “formal letter of caution.” The letter was initiated because of an order form that has been available online courtesy of the DFB since February 1. The consumer group noted that the online form gave the impression that for a buyer to have his order processed he would have to consent to have his personal data made available to commercial advertisers. Last week the Federation of German Consumer Organization (VZBV) sent its first letter of caution to the German Football Association. Consumer protection groups moreover allege that the terms and conditions set down by DFB for the sale of the Soccer World Cup tickets are unlawful. For example, the groups note, there is a clause that compels buyers of tickets to consent to having their image or images used in "all current and future media" in the event that their picture is taken at a match venue. In addition, the rules concerning the refunding of money in the event of a game being postponed and/or reassigned to a different location were not acceptable, asserted VZBV. The consumer group asserts that under the current terms a buyer has no right to ask for a ticket price refund if it is considered "not unreasonable."

Ticket Security, Scalping

4 Feb 2005

Security measures for World Cup 2006 tickets are among the most detailed and stringent ever put together for a sporting event. The tickets, which look like an airplane check-in ticket, will come printed with the name of the purchaser and random checks will be carried out as fans enter stadiums. In theory, this will improve security and reduce scalping
"In principle, the tickets are not transferable," said Horst R. Schmidt, a senior vice-president of the organizing committee and the official in charge of ticketing. "The tickets don't just look like plane tickets, they're similar in terms of the way they can be transferred and that can only be with a change of name."

Lessons Learned from 2002; Numbers Perfect Say Officials

4 Feb 2005

Both the world soccer governing body and the German officials are confident they have learned from the mistakes of South Korea and Japan in 2002 when there were large swathes of empty seats at matches supposedly sold out.
The 12 German stadiums that will host the games can hold 3.37 million for the 64 matches. There are however 440,000 seats reserved for VIP guests and the media. Thus, a total of around 2.93 million tickets will go on sale around the world. This figure includes tickets allocated to the national federations for distribution.

Day 1 of Online Ticket Sales: Still No Crash

2 Feb 2005

The Internet did not collapse. Life as we know it continues. 70,000 fans entered the online ticket lottery—and there has yet to be a crash. Despite struggling with a sluggish server, FIFA officials were pleased to announce their online ticket vendor survived the first day of World Cup 2006 trading.
After going on sale on February 1st, nearly 500,000 tickets for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany were ordered in the first 16 hours after going on sale, the organizing committee said.
Orders came in from 120 countries worldwide. Seventy thousand people put in an online order. There are 812,000 tickets are available in the first phase.
In spite of FIFA’s gloating, the website did experience some technical difficulties but, repeat, did not crash. "The orders came flying in as soon as the starting whistle went," said Horst R. Schmidt, senior vice-president of the organizing committee. "Fortunately, our technical system withstood the initial stampede and proved its reliability."
In this phase of Internet sales, fans are limited to four tickets per person for any individual match in the lower price categories with a maximum of seven tickets per person for all matches in the same category. The tickets are priced from €35 euros ($45.5) to €600.

Officials Bracing for Bitter and Disappointed Fans

2 Feb 2005

As demand is sure to outstrip supply, FIFA officials are getting ready for angry and disappointed fans.
By the time the 32-nation line-up for the World Cup is finalized just 300,000 tickets will be left for sale to the public.This is but 10% of the total. As a result, many of the fans buying on line on February 1st had no idea what teams would be playing in the games they had purchased tickets for.
Buying TSTs, or team specific tickets, does give the option of specifying which team’s game tickets you want to buy. However, to date only Germany is guaranteed a place at the finals. Fans will though get their money back if their specified team fails to qualify.
FIFA is adamant that tickets returned at the last minute will not be resold. FIFA instead is planning to give them out to some of the 190,000 accredited drivers, caterers, and other workers who would not normally get to see a game.

Officials Encouraging Online Ticket Purchase

2 Feb 2005

Officials are more than ready for the technical challenge of providing the world's soccer fans with tickets online for the finals in Germany in 2006.
"We encourage people to buy over the internet," said Schmidt. "Those people who don't have internet access should seek out a friend because it's the easiest way."
The organizers emphasized that the tickets 'bought' in the first phase of sale—which lasts until March 31—were only “applications” because if as expected demand exceeds supply then tickets will not be distributed on a first come, first served basis but rather via a lottery. In the second phase, which runs from May 1 to November 15, it will be first come, first served.

Ref Betting Scandal Widens

30 Jan 2005

Germany's largest soccer scandal since the Canellas match-fixing saga of 1971 appears to be growing. Referee Robert Hoyzer has admitted fixing the outcomes of at least three games in Germany's lower divisions and the German Cup after betting on them. Hoyzer initially denied the charges. The young official has now said that he was paid to rig the games by a Croatian betting syndicate. The affair has caused acute embarrassment for the German Football Association (DFB).

Tickets Will Be Like Gold

24 Jan 2005

Only about one third of the 2.93 million tickets for the 2006 World Cup finals would be guaranteed for public sale to ordinary fans, organisers announced on Monday.
The seating capacity for the 64 games is 3.37 million but 440,000 tickets are reserved for VIPS and media. The first two-month sales period begins at midnight on February 1, with 812,000 tickets available via a lottery system at www.fifaworldcup.com.
A further 300,000 tickets are on offer in subsequent sales periods up to January 2006, taking the total to just over 1.1 million.
National football associations, official sponsors, media, VIPs and the "German Football Family" are offered the rest of the tickets, with any unused tickets to go back on public sale.
The 32 participating countries receive 8% of the tickets for each of their matches.
260,000 cheap Category 4 tickets, priced at 35 euros (US$45.8) are available for group phase matches.
Fans will be able to apply for up to two of the Category 4 tickets per household for up to three matches.
For higher category tickets, priced from 45 euros (US$58.83), the limit on applications is four tickets for up to seven games.
Fans can apply for tickets in the first sales period to follow a particular team throughout the tournament. If a fan's chosen team does not qualify, or goes out of the tournament, refunds will be available. FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi said a priority would be to offer re-sales of unwanted tickets to try to ensure that the stadiums are full on match days, not just sold out.
Demand will far outweigh supply and the first period of ticket sales (1 February 2005 - March 31) will be via lottery and not on a first-come, first-served basis to avoid internet chaos. A draw will take place on April 15 to assign tickets to lucky applicants. Any unsold tickets will go back on sale on a first-come, first-served basis from May 1 to November 15.
The second sales period, again via lottery, runs from December 1 2005 to January 15, 2006, with any remaining tickets available from the first sales period in order of application.
Any last-minute ticket sales will take place from May 2006 up to the final on July 9. Organizers estimate that up to 30 million people will apply for tickets.
More World Cup Ticket Information

Test For CTS Eventim

23 Jan 2005

CTS Eventim, the world's second-largest ticket supplier after US company Ticketmaster will handle ticket sales for the 2006 World Cup. Ticket sales at the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan - handled by UK-based Byrom Consultants - were problematic with some tickets remaining unsold for matches despite the heavy demand.
CTS is expected to turn an estimated profit of 20% or 30m euros (US$39m) from ticket sales. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CTS CEO, said: "Our only worry is for internet traffic on February 1 [when ticket sales begin] but everything is tested and ready." The Munich-based company has 15,000 servers ready to handle up to 10m orders a day.

Germany May Suspend Schengen Treaty for World Cup

23 Jan 2005

Germany is considering suspending the Schengen Treaty - in which internal border checks have been removed in all pre-enlargement European Union member states except for Britain and Ireland - for the duration of the World Cup in order to reimpose passport control and improve security during the tournament. Portugal took a similar decision during Euro 2004.

Beware Ticket Scams

22 Jan 2005

World Cup organizers are warning fans to be wary of Internet scams when the tickets for the 2006 tournament go on sale on February 1st. Each ticket will be printed with the purchaser's name and will be non-transferable.
"All we can do is urgently warn fans off freeloaders, the majority operating on the Internet," said Horst R Schmidt, organizing committee vice-president. "Anyone who falls for these offers runs the risk of losing a lot of money and failing to gain admission to the stadiums."
Around three million tickets will be on sale for the World Cup, earning approximately 200 million euros ($262 million). Tickets are priced from 35 euros ($46) for the lowest category seats at opening-round matches and will ramp up to 600 euros ($786) for the best seats at the Final.
"Our calculations are based on selling 90 percent of the tickets, although obviously we're hoping for 100 percent," stated vice-president Theo Zwanziger.

Tickets Go on Sale February 1

20 Jan 2005

FRANKFURT - With less than two weeks to go until the 3.2 million tickets for the 64 matches at the 2006 World Cup in Germany officially go on sale, organizing committee president Franz Beckenbauer said on Monday he believes demand will exceed supply.
"If I reflect on the number of times I've been personally asked for tickets, we must assume demand will massively exceed the supply we have available," Beckenbauer said.
FIFA will reveal how the tickets will be allocated at a January 25 news conference. The total of 3.2 million however will not all be available to the general public as this figure includes seats for VIPs and the media.
The first phase of official sales begins 1 February on FIFA's website (www.FIFAworldcup.com.). Applications will be processed via a lottery.
The World Cup organising committee also once again reiterated its concern about blackmarket tickets.

Mbeki/Blatter Decide Committee Make-Up

18 Jan 2005

Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, has allowed FIFA to decide the composition of the 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee [LOC] after FIFA boss Sepp Blatter insisted that FIFA would be the decision-maker in this matter. It was announced to the press that "South African government ministers would also be made available for inclusion on the LOC". South Africa Football Association president Molefi Oliphant has appointed Danny Jordaan as chief executive of the 2010 World Cup LOC.

World Cup Volunteers

7 Jan 2005

Over 25,000 people from around the world have applied to become a volunteer at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. 15,000 volunteers will be needed in total. Applications have come from all five continents and those who have not yet applied can still do so via FIFA's website www.fifa.com between June and September of 2005 and in January and February 2006. "We're happy with the massive interest and we are also pleased with the quality of the applicants to date. A lot of young people with languages have applied, as well as highly qualified older football fans with much work experience," said Theo Zwangiger, vice-president of the World Cup's organising committee. Organisers said a man born in 1927 was the oldest person to apply. 2,000 volunteers will also be needed for the 2005 Confederations Cup from over 12,000 people who have already applied.

Germany On Course

7 Jan 2005

Preparations for the 2006 World Cup are progressing smoothly. The huge US$2.04 billion stadium building and restoration programme is on schedule, the mascot has been revealed and tickets are due to go on sale in February. Even the national team under new coach Jurgen Klinsmann is beginning to play well despite a recent set back in Korea. All the World Cup stadiums are scheduled for completion by mid-2005 in time for the Confederations Cup. "We're on schedule," organising committee vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach said. "I can promise there won't be any headaches or headlines saying: 'Will they be finished on time?'"

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