GERMANY: SOCCER - Franz Beckenbauer opens World Cup International Broadcast Centre

Record ID: 858869

  • Title: GERMANY: SOCCER - Franz Beckenbauer opens World Cup International Broadcast Centre
  • Date: 13th May 2006
  • Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (MAY 12, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE OF NWS CONFERENCE; JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANZ BECKENBAUER, PRESIDENT OF 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP ORGANSING COMMITTEE (OC) SAYING: "Everything is going according to plan and we don't have any problems. The cooperation with FIFA is excellent despite some disturbances in the past, atmospheric ones, but we're here to deal with them. Otherwise, we're very happy with the preparations. As far as we are concerned, the World Cup could start tomorrow." CAMERA CREWS; FIFA PAMPHLET (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANZ BECKENBAUER, PRESIDENT OF 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP ORGANSING COMMITTEE (OC) SAYING: "The scandal is ongoing and no one knows what will come out of it. Investigations are ongoing. I do believe that it affects the team because the pure mention of it distracts you from the preparations (for the World Cup). That's really too bad because the Italians have always been on my wish list when it came to naming favourites. Of course everyone would say Brazil but I always had the Italians in my mind. It could of course mean a setback for the team although I don't hope so. But we'll just have to wait and see what the investigations turn up." REPORTERS LISTENING WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 28th May 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAECUIXD8PEFKEKQVA4GMPM43Q
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  • Story Text: Four weeks ahead of the start of the FIFA 2006 World Cup, Organising Committee (OC) president Franz Beckenbauer on Friday (May 12, 2006) has opened the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Munich.
    The IBC will be transmitting live pictures from all 64 games to the world between June 9 and July 9.
    Beckenbauer, who arrived at the IBC near Munich's fairground by helicopter, unveiled a "football fountain" outside the building, an oversize stone football with FIFA's 2006 World Cup logo engraved on it.
    Asked about the current situation of preparations for the month-long event, Beckenbauer without hesitation repeated what he said not very long ago, that "as far as we are concerned, the World Cup could start tomorrow."
    "Everything is going according to plan and we don't have any problems," the former German football star said.
    "The cooperation with FIFA is excellent despite some disturbances in the past, atmospheric ones, but we're here to deal with them. Otherwise, we're very happy with the preparations," Beckenabauer said.
    He also commented on the biggest scandal to hit Italian football in more than 20 years, which mushroomed on Friday when prosecutors revealed they were investigating top clubs, referees and officials for suspected match-fixing.
    "I do believe that it affects the team because the pure mention of it distracts you from the preparations" (for the World Cup).
    "That's really too bad because the Italians have always been on my wish list when it came to naming favourites," Beckenbauer added.
    Officials from Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina along with Italy's World Cup referee Massimo De Santis are being investigated about potential match-fixing, a judicial source said on Friday.
    The source said that Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle, Lazio president Claudio Lotito and Juventus CEO Antonio Giraudo were formally under investigation by Naples magistrates.
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