Football frenzy grips Kingdom as FIFA World Cup trophy is unveiled in Riyadh - Yahoo News Maktoob
1. utf8_encode(Football frenzy grips Kingdom as FIFA World
Cup trophy is unveiled in Riyadh - Yahoo News Maktoob)
Football frenzy grips Kingdom as FIFA World Cup trophy is unveiled in Riyadh - Yahoo News
Maktoob
FIFA and Coca-Cola elevated Saudi football fans to a state of sheer excitement as the FIFA World
Cup Trophy was presented to the public at King Faisal Sports Complex here on Wednesday.
Gabriel Calderon, FIFA Ambassador and former Argentina international player, said: "I am delighted
to have been selected to participate in the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour. It is a symbol of sporting
prowess, bringing great nations together to celebrate the beautiful game.
He added: "Playing in the FIFA World Cup was the biggest honor I could have imagined, and I have
witnessed and experienced the same passion and admiration for the game throughout the Middle
East during my time here. This is a fantastic experience to be a part of my life."
Brad Ross, Global Football Manager at Coca-Cola in Middle East, said: "Bringing the trophy to Saudi
Arabia has been an exhilarating experience. The passionate reception from fans here served as a
reminder of how football has the power to bring people together and unite them under a common
love of sportsmanship."
He added: "We are taking the trophy on its longest journey to date, visiting 90 countries over 9
months. To quantify the tour, we will be traveling 92000 miles which is over 3.5 times around the
world."
A large number of delighted fans reveled in the fact that they were witnessing history in the making,
as they came face to face with the most iconic symbol in football history, the FIFA World Cup
Trophy.
Coca Cola also gave fans the opportunity to test their skills in a 'shoot and score' challenge which
highlighted Saudi Arabia's passion for the sport.
Each fan had their picture taken with the trophy and was able to take the image home with them as
a permanent reminder of the experience.
Brought to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by Coca-Cola, the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour gave over
7000 lucky fans an exhilarating opportunity to truly embody the spirit of football. The fan experience
at the one-day FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour 'Fan Zone' opened for families and singles.