World Cup 2006 News

British schoolchildren get second chance to see World Cup match

Jun 21, 2006, 12:16 GMT

London - Hundreds of British schoolchildren caught up in an alleged World Cup ticket fraud will get to watch a game in Germany after all, the government in London said Wednesday. A deal had been reached in talks with FIFA, soccer's ruling body, that would enable nearly 400 disappointed pupils, aged between 11 and 15, to return to Germany for a quarter-final match. 'In recognition of the unique circumstances of this case, FIFA have made an offer of free tickets to a quarter-final match to all the children who travelled to Germany last weekend and were let down,' a statement by the ministry for Culture, Media and Sport said. Other sponsors would make sure that the children would 'get there and back.' It is understood that British Airways has agreed to fly most of the youngsters to Germany. The deal was struck in personal talks between sports minister Dick Caborn and FIFA president Joseph Blatter, officials said. Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a phone-in radio programme Monday that helping the children was 'something we need to work on.' The pupils, from all over Britain, returned from Germany Monday after tickets they had booked for games failed to turn up. Police said Wednesday that a woman had been detained in Slough, near London, in connection with the scam. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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British schoolchildren get second chance to see World Cup match

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