A close encounter with 'The Real Thing'

A myriad of memories flooded into my head as the black cloth covering the showpiece attraction was finally removed.

Tardelli's emotion-packed celebration during the 1982 final in Spain, Maradona's superb solo goal against England that set Argentina on way to their last World Cup triumph in Mexico '86, Brehme's penalty goal in the final against Argentina in Italia '90, Brazil's victory in the penalty shoot-out in the US heat in 1994, Zidane's brace against Brazil at the Stade de France eight years ago and Cafu's towering presence as he lifted the cup in Yokohama four years ago.

As the inauguration of the World Cup 2006 finals in Germany on June 9 looms closer, the fervour and excitement of the hundreds of millions of football lovers the world over grows by the minute.

The unprecedented initiative of FIFA and Coca-Cola, a long-time partner of world football's governing body, to organise a tour of the authentic World Cup trophy definitely served to nurture the sporting public's passion for this enthralling tournament.

Kicking off in January, the whirlwind tour enticed enthusiastic crowds in each of the 31 cities in 28 countries it visited, culminating in the final leg in Rome last weekend.

The tour did not comprise Malta but General Soft Drinks, local bottlers of Coca-Cola, are in the process of applying the finishing touches on a strong campaign designed not only to bring World Cup 2006 closer to the Maltese but also giving it a local tinge.

By way of highlighting their efforts to ensure that Malta does not miss out on Coca-Cola's association with FIFA and its global motto of 'We all speak football', General Soft Drinks invited four local sportswriters to travel to Rome for the concluding act of the 'FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola'.

I was among the four - the others being Robert Cutajar, of Media Link Communications, Mark Attard, from Education Channel 22, and Mario Saliba, of Super One - picked by GSD to attend a preview of the World Cup trophy exhibition in Rome.

The Maltese entourage in the Italian capital also included Martin Agius, Sales and Marketing Manager at GSD Ltd, and his fellow colleagues Marlene Borg and Wilfred Camilleri.

The presence of Josè Altafini, a member of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 1958, and Pierluigi Collina, arguably one of the most popular referees in the history of the game, gave added flavour to the presentation, held on Saturday at the Auditorium Parco della Musica.

Collina and Altafini were joined on the panel by Cristiano de Musso, media relations manager Coca-Cola Italia, and Thomas von Ubrizsy, a FIFA spokesman.

Altafini, one of the first ex-players turned TV pundit, reminisced about the nicest memories from his career.

"I have been lucky in my life, lucky to have enjoyed great experiences in football," he said.

"I played for Brazil when they won their first World Cup title in 1958. Then, I moved to Italy and besides winning several honours at club level, I also had the opportunity to represent Italy in the 1962 World Cup."

Altafini described football as a fascinating game.

"Football is very simple yet so fascinating," he said. "It is a spectacle."

The sponsors of the World Cup trophy tour were cited for special mention by Altafini.

"Coca-Cola have been everpresent in World Cup editions for several decades," Altafini said.

"In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, it was Coca-Cola who conceived the Ola (Mexican wave). This has now become a regular feature in stadia across the globe."

It was then the turn of Collina, the former referee whose bald head and striking blue eyes make him one of the most recognisable figures in sport. He spoke about his own World Cup experience.

"Witnessing the arrival of the World Cup trophy at Fiumicino airport this morning revived so many pleasant memories," Collina remarked.

"From my viewpoint, controlling the last final in Yokohama in 2002 was the equivalent of winning the World Cup. It was certainly one of the highest points of my career.

"The World Cup trophy is a very particular object," Collina added. "Players, coaches and all those involved make big sacrifices to succeed but only a few get the chance to lift the trophy.

"The World Cup means a lot of hard work."

Mention of the hard work prompted Altafini to crack an interesting pun:

"Finalmente, chi vince prende la coppa, chi perde prende la colpa (winners take the cup, losers take the blame)."

Collina held back from expressing an opinion on the most talked-about themes in any build-up for a big tournament, like who are his favourites in Germany.

When, in a post-briefing interview, Collina was reminded that his retirement from football gave him the liberty to freely show his support for his native country, he replied:

"On those occasions when I was not directly involved in the competition, I always supported Italy. I am happy when my country does well not just in football but in other sports as well. Nothing has changed."

De Musso had earlier touched on the significance and special allure of the World Cup trophy.

"The FIFA World Cup trophy is one of the most famous sports symbols in the world, one that represents the dream of every footballer regardless of age," de Musso commented.

"This tour is an opportunity for the fans to admire the World Cup from close distance."

Coca-Cola extends partnership with FIFA until 2022

"Coca-Cola's commitment towards sport goes back several years," de Musso added.

"Coca-Cola was among the first brands to officially lend its support to the Olympic Games whereas our partnership with FIFA began in 1974. Recently, Coca-Cola extended its association with FIFA until 2022."

The press briefing was followed by a walk-through past memorabilia and framed shirts worn by Italy players in past World Cup editions.

Before the launching reached its climax with the unveiling of the sparkling World Cup Trophy, the guests put on 3-D glasses to watch a spectacular film which, with the use of the latest technology, aimed to project an artistic and imaginary creation of the gold World Cup statue and showed great moments from previous finals.

From the riveting sound of streaks of gold lashing out from the screen and back, to 'The Real Thing'. The audience hastily made its way to the adjacent room where all eyes shifted to the sculpture-like item covered by a black cloth.

The camera flashes began to illuminate as Collina, de Musso and von Ubrizsy undraped the World Cup trophy.

Needless to say that all those present seized the opportunity to have their photo taken with the famous cup but no-one was allowed to touch it.

Not even Wayne Rooney, England's young prodigy, was granted licence to lay a finger on the coveted prize when the Coca-Cola tour reached London last month.

The honour of raising this symbol of football supremacy will be exclusive to the captain and the members of the winning national team come July 9 in Berlin.

Let's hope it's...

Fans' views to fifaworldcup.com...

¤ Will Humphreys, a 13-year-old boy from England who visited the World Cup Trophy exhibition in London, said: "The highlight of the day was standing right next to the World Cup. I thought it would be in a glass box. If I'd wanted to I could have touched it..."

¤ Paula Gomes, a 14-year-old who attended the Lisbon event with a group of friends, said: "It's something I'll always remember." Her friend Tamara Costa also loved the event, but said she wished the trophy could stay in her country a bit longer. She knows that will only happen if Portugal are crowned champions on July 9, something she believed could well occur.

"Portugal have some great players, and I'm sure we're going to be champions."

¤ Alcides Mendes, who works for a children's organisation in Lisbon, took a group of 20 youngsters to the event and said he did not know whether he or the children were happier. "When you're standing next to the trophy, you feel like a child yourself. It's like a dream come true."

History of the World Cup Trophy...

After Brazil clinched their third World Cup triumph in Mexico City in 1970, they gained permanent possession of the Jules Rimet Cup.

FIFA thus commissioned a new trophy for the tenth World Cup in 1974. A total of 53 designs were put forward by experts from seven countries and the task of creating the new World Cup was entrusted to Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga.

He described his creation thus: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rises the figure of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."

The trophy is 36cm high, made of solid 18-carat gold and weighs 6,175 grammes. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each World Cup winner since 1974.