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Emanuela Karastoyanova

“I am here to inspire everybody and especially the young ones for something which the ancient Greeks have given to the world – the spirit of the struggle, the victory and the celebration. The most important values in life and in the football. I wish success to the Greek national team! Long live Greece and its football!” With these words the former Cameroon football player Roger Milla greeted Greece for the arrival of the World cup FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 in Athens for a press conference in the exhibition center METROPOLITAN EXPO.

The cup arrived in the Greek capital today and will be a guest of the city for 3 days. Within the frames of its traditional trip around the world this year it will visit 84 countries on 5 continents. (Its world trip started on September 21^st, 2009).

The presentation of the trophy was accepted with great joy and excitement. In the official moment of its demonstration took part the football player Georgios Karagounis and the President of the Greek football federation Sofoklis Pilavios.

Besides on the meaning of football as a sport the press conference, in which took part also the Council of South Africa in Greece and Mrs. Renata Pereira on the part of FIFA, focused also on the problems of the children in Africa. The fact that the World championship this year will be held exactly in Africa is a reason for support of millions of children on the continent. As Mr. Pilavios shared “It is important that in this championship we do not only confine ourselves to the football as a sport”. About the meaning of the world campaign Action Aid and its goals spoke the representatives of FIFA and Coca Cola. They underlined the need of fighting for the access of the African children to schools and higher educational system.

On Saturday (April 11^th) the World cup will visit the children’s hospital Aglea Kiriakou and will give a reason for joy to many sick children. Later that day an opened party is prepared for all the friends of the cup in ATHENS MALL.

On Sunday (April 12^th) in OAKA a day of the football will be held. Coca Cola invites all the friends of the sport to come and see the cup from up close, to take a picture with it, to meet the mascot Zakumi and also to take an autograph from the legendary football player Roger Milla.

The project of the world cup FIFA has been created in 1974 for the needs of the tenth FIFA World Cup championship. After a difficult choice between 53 projects from 7 countries FIFA chooses the one of the Italian Silvio Gazniga. The trophy is 36,8 centimeters high, it weighs about 6 kilograms an 175 grams and is made out of 18 carat gold. Its base is made out of two layers semiprecious malachite inside are carved the years when the first championships were held as well as the names of the winners for the period since 1974 until now.