Giant football starts taking shape over Berlin

A giant football that will tower over Berlin before and during next year's World Cup is taking shape above the German capital.

The globe towards the top of Berlin's trademark television tower is being decked out as a pink and silver soccer ball.

"It will act as a clear sign for months that Berlin is at the heart of the World Cup. It is a one-off event," Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit said yesterday.

Up to 20 climbers are busy sticking on around 8,000 pink and silver strips, reflecting the colours of the tower's owner, World Cup sponsor Deutsche Telekom.

Organisers hope the globe, which houses a viewing platform and revolving restaurant, will be transformed into a football by the start of 2006.

Already about a quarter of the strips have been applied since work started earlier this month.

When complete, the 32-metre (105 feet) diameter ball will look as if it has been skewered just over halfway up the 368-metre tower.

The World Cup, which Germany is hosting, begins in just over six months. The opening ceremony is in Berlin on June 7, two days before the World Cup kicks off, and the final is on July 9.

Berlin is planning other events to mark its central place in the World Cup, the largest event of the world's most popular sport.

Wowereit said the city, that hopes for a long-term boost in tourism, would hold festivals and erect giant screens showing matches near the Reichstag parliament building.