The FIFI Wild Cup was an alternative football World Cup run by FIFI (Federation of International Football Independents). FIFI was a body made up of countries not recognized by FIFA and those whose logistics preclude them from playing representative football. Millerntor-Stadion hosted all the tournament matches.
The tournament was sponsored by an on-line gambling consortium who saw this tournament as a way to gain publicity for itself. The winners were the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Hosted in St. Pauli, Germany, this tournament enabled disputed political entities to play in international competition. In order to get the tournament started, organizer Jorg Pommeranz said FIFI had to fight heavyweights such as FIFA and the Chinese embassy in Germany. Chinese officials sent a letter to FIFI, demanding it dis-invite Tibet. FIFI refused. Then FIFA declared it had the right to cancel these matches. FIFI fought back again. It also required some extra work getting visas for the Northern Cypriot players to enter Germany.
Read more about FIFI Wild Cup: Participants in 2006 Tournament
Famous quotes containing the words wild and/or cup:
“We would not always be soothing and taming nature, breaking the horse and the ox, but sometimes ride the horse wild and chase the buffalo.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“If you desire to drain to the dregs the fullest cup of scorn and hatred that a fellow human being can pour out for you, let a young mother hear you call dear baby “it.””
—Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927)