The football fever is back and is slowly gripping the football crazy nations around the world. The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also known as World Cup Football, is to take place in Germany. News regarding world cup football is coming in thick and fast. The finals are scheduled between 9 June and 9 July 2006. The teams for the finals have been identified and grouped. Tickets sales have already started and are receiving enthusiastic response from around the world. Tight security arrangements have been made taking into account the conditions prevailing in certain parts of the world. Team preparations, injury worries of the teams, top players, the preparations of the stadiums and security measures are some of the hot topics for world cup football news.
Expert opinion on the different teams that are taking part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals are an important column in many websites, magazines and newspapers. The form of important players and their injury worries are updated taking into account their current performances in the major leagues around the world. Young and new players are introduced to the football fans. Latin American and European teams are the most discussed teams. Earlier it was hard to get news about little known teams participating in the world cup finals. But with the Internet revolution, it is now easy to get news about African and Asian teams participating in the finals. The expectation from the home team and their preparation is another important news item discussed exclusively.
Information regarding world cup football ticket sales is another important news item that is featuring in most of the media around the world. Traveling to Germany during the world cup is another important area dealt. Visa issues, the venues, transportation, accommodation and other nuances involved with traveling during the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals is finding space in many of the top journals. Hooligans and the problem created by them are favorite news items for several agencies. The measures taken to deal with hooligans have already started appearing.
The most important resource to collect news about 2006 FIFA World Cup finals is the Internet. There are several sites providing all the latest information on world cup football finals. Some of them also help in purchasing tickets. Travel and accommodation arrangements are also offered by several websites. They also provide details about the products related to world cup football. Regularly updated news is the greatest advantage that the Internet provides.
The World Cup is a small gold trophy representing the hopes and ambitions of every footballing nation on earth. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, there have been two trophies awarded to the winners.The Jules Rimet Trophy was the original prize for winning the World Cup. Originally called simply the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, it was renamed in 1946 to honour the FIFA President Jules Rimet who in 1929 passed a vote to initiate the competition. Designed by Abel Lafleur and made of gold plated sterling silver on a blue base of lapis lazuli, it stood 35 cm high and weighed 3.8 kg. It was in the shape of an octagonal cup, supported by a winged figure representing Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory.
During World War II, the trophy was held by Italy. Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA, hid it from the Germans in a shoe-box under his bed.
Just before the 1966 World Cup Final in England the trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall, but was found just seven days later, wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in Norwood, South London, by a dog named "Pickles". As a security measure, FIFA secretly manufactured a replica of the trophy for use in the post-match celebrations. The replica was also used on subsequent occasions until 1970. The replica was sold at an auction in 1997 for $425,015.There were many replicas on eBay at that time.
The Brazilian team won the trophy for the third time in 1970, and were rewarded by being allowed to keep it in perpetuity. However, the cup was stolen again in 1983 in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered; it may have been melted down. The Brazilian Football Confederation commissioned a replica of their own.
The replacement trophy, officially known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was first presented at the 1974 World Cup. Designed by Silvio Gazzaniga, it stands 36 cm tall and is made of 5 kg of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a base containing two layers of malachite, and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. The name of the country whose national team wins the tournament is engraved, together with the year, in the bottom side of the trophy. It is not known whether FIFA will retire the trophy after all of the name plaques at the base are filled in; this will occur after the 2038 World Cup.
FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive it on loan for four years and receive a replica to keep.
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