16 Jan 2006
FIFA cancels World Cup opening ceremony
The gala opening ceremony for the World Cup in Berlin has been cancelled just five months ahead of the tournament in the latest of a run of bad publicity for FIFA and the event organisers.
The £17m opening ceremony was due to be held in Berlin's Olympic Stadium on 7 June – six days ahead of the first game at the venue, which left insufficient time to relay the pitch, FIFA said.
Although FIFA has claimed that "sporting considerations" are the sole reason for the decision, commentators have suggested that low interest in the event may also have been a significant factor – sources have suggested that ticket sales for the gala were extremely slow.
The news comes after an embarrassing report published last week by a German consumer group which claimed some of the venues were unsafe.
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