FIFA broadcaster donates £485,000 to "6 villages for 2006"
07/07/2006
Infront Sports & Media, which handles the marketing of the global broadcast rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, this week donated a sum of £485,000 to “6 villages for 2006”, SOS Children’s Villages and FIFA’s joint World Cup campaign, in respect of all the broadcast license fee income generated from commercial public viewing activities in Germany.
At a ceremony held in the International Broadcast Centre in Munich, Günter Netzer, an Executive Director of Infront, presented the cheque for £485,000 to SOS Children's Villages in the presence of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
Infront sold a total of 170 licenses for commercial public viewing events throughout Germany. All revenues will be donated in full and the final figure is expected to be significantly higher, once all income has been secured.
"We thank the organisers of the commercial public viewing events in Germany. It is their efforts and their success that has produced a result considerably greater than forecast” said Günter Netzer. The money will go towards the construction and running costs of five family homes in one of the new villages being built as part of the “6 villages for 2006” campaign.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter: "Infront has helped to make public viewing in Germany into a powerful means of support for a very good cause. Football has an incredible power, which can be used to make the world a better place. FIFA is very happy with the outcome of this initiative and I would like to thank our TV Partner for its support.”
During the ceremony, the FIFA President also presented the exclusive 2006 FIFA World Cup autograph book containing the signatures of all 736 players and head coaches of the 32 finalist teams, which is currently being auctioned online to benefit “6 villages for 2006”. Bids for the autograph book can be made here: http://www.sos-auktion.de , until 11.59pm on 14 July 2006.
Relevant Countries: Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine, Vietnam.