How Long can Germany Keep the Worldcup Trophy?
As
German players posed with, kissed and hoisted one of the most coveted trophies
in all of sports, it’s a fair assumption that many of the players had no idea
their time with the historic 18-carat gem was running short.
After
the celebration ends and the Germans board their plane, the trophy they worked
so hard to achieve will be locked away and a gold-plated replica would be
headed back to German soil.
It
seems like one of the biggest teases in sports.
The
feeling of lifting 13.61 pounds of 75 percent pure 18-carat gold and then
watching that prized possession be taken and locked away for the next four
years is heartbreaking, but Germany isn’t the first team to go through this
loved-and-lost scenario. Since 1974, the winners of the World Cup have all
walked away with replicas.
Why?
Well, it’s because the trophy isn’t only coveted by the players, it’s also
coveted by thieves.
In 2010, Cash4Gold, the world’s top
public gold buyer, said
the trophy was worth at least $10 million and its value continues to rise as the value of gold rises.
Because of this, the trophy has been stolen twice and was once saved from
thievery.
During
World War II, Dr. Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA, hid the
original trophy – the Jules Rimet Cup – in a shoebox under his bed to keep it
out of the hands of the Nazis. However, all that work was for naught because in
1966, the trophy was stolen in England while on display at a public exhibition
in London.
Seven
days later, the stolen trophy was found by a dog named Pickles, who was
relieving himself on a bush when his owner saw the trophy wrapped in newspaper.
In
1970, the Jules Rimet Cup went to Brazil – permanently – after it won its third
World Cup. The trophy we know today replaced the Jules Rimet Cup and that prize
was first handed out in 1974. However, thieves were still very much in love
with the old version and in 1983, the trophy was stolen from the Brazilian
Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered.
Legend has it that it was melted down and sold.
So,
understandably, FIFA has some trust issues when it comes to its fancy trophy
and keeps it heavily guarded whenever it is on display, being celebrated with
and even when it’s locked away for safe keeping.
But,
each winner since 1974 has had its name engraved on the base of the real
trophy. After Germany gets its engraving, there’s only room for three more
names. It’s unknown what FIFA will do after it runs out of space in 2030 on
what will be the 100th anniversary of the tournament.
So,
Germany’s long-awaited rendezvous with the World Cup trophy lasted maybe a
couple hours. Let’s hope they savored it.
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