IVORY COAST: SOCCER - Franz Beckenbauer arrives as part of a five-day tour of the nations representing Africa at the 2006 football World Cup.

Record ID: 182731

  • Title: IVORY COAST: SOCCER - Franz Beckenbauer arrives as part of a five-day tour of the nations representing Africa at the 2006 football World Cup.
  • Date: 17th December 2005
  • Summary: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (DECEMBER 16 2005) (REUTERS) FRANZ BECKENBAUER, PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FOR THE 2006 WORLD CUP, INTRODUCING PRESENTATION CUT AWAY OF THE DEMO ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH "A TIME TO MAKE FRIENDS" CLOSE UP OF BECKENBAUER'S FACE SCREEN SHOWING TIME LEFT UNTIL THE WORLD CUP IVORIAN OFFICIAL WATCHING PRESENTATION ON BIG SCREEN BECKENBAUER GIVING WORLD CUP MASCOT TO IVORY COAST FOOTBALL FEDERATION PRESIDENT JACQUES ALOMA SOUNDBITE (English) BECKENBAUER: "The Cote d'Ivoire unfortunately is facing a very, very difficult group along with Argentina, Holland and Serbia Montenegro so it's probably the most difficult group of all. It's a great challenge for them and there's a prognosis that if Ivory Coast survives this group phase, they have a good chance to get to the final." BECKENBAUER MEETING IVORIAN PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO AT PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE BECKENBAUER GIVING WORLD CUP 2006 MEDAL TO LAURENT GBAGBO GBAGBO AND BECKENBAUER SAT AT THE TABLE
  • Embargoed: 1st January 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA4G0XJF73J2JHW2AIZ1N59QGF4
  • Story Text: German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer jetted into Ivory Coast on Friday (December 16), part of a five-day tour of the nations representing Africa at the 2006 World Cup.
    President of the organising committee for the 2006 World Cup, Beckenbauer has visited Tunisia, Angola, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast this week on the second leg of a tour to personally invite all nations that have qualified for next year's finals in Germany.
    He has already invited the Asian qualifiers and will tour Europe later this month to invite the European qualifiers.
    Ivory Coast, playing in its first World Cup finals, faces a daunting task in Germany having been drawn to play Argentina, Holland and Serbia & Montenegro in the group stage.
    "The Cote d'Ivoire unfortunately is facing a very, very difficult group along with Argentina, Holland and Serbia Montenegro so it's probably the most difficult group of all," said Beckenbauer. "It's a great challenge for them and there's a prognosis that if Ivory Coast survives this group phase, they have a good chance to get to the final."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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