Leipzig, Germany, 8 December 2005 – When football fans in Germany enjoy the matches of 2006 FIFA World Cup™ on giant screens, SOS Children's Villages will benefit too. Infront Sports & Media, which handles the marketing of the broadcast rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, will donate all the broadcast license fee income generated from commercial public viewing activities in Germany to SOS Children's Villages, FIFA's adopted charity. A special World Cup charitable campaign has been set up called "6 Villages for 2006".
 
Günter Netzer, an Executive Director of Infront and Georg Willeit, Secretary of the SOS Children's Villages worldwide, announced the first income figures during the Final Draw in Leipzig. At this stage, Infront's donation is approaching 250.000 Euros in fee income from this category.
 
"We hope that we will be able to double this amount before the Opening Ceremony", said Günter Netzer at the information booth of SOS Children's Villages at the Leipzig Fair. "With the amount already announced, it will be possible to build a family home in one of the six villages and to secure its regular maintenance for five years", added Georg Willeit. "We are delighted to have supporters like Günter Netzer and Infront and we hope that their engagement gives a positive signal towards other companies involved in the World Cup."
 
As an expression of gratitude Willeit handed over a picture of the SOS Children's Villages in Dong Hoi, Vietnam, to Netzer. This village is one of the"6 Villages for 2006"and the only one where construction has been finished. While the Final Draw takes place in Leipzig, the first children will be moving into the Dong Hoi facilities.
 
"We need partners like Infront to complete the construction of the other five villages", says Georg Willeit. Günter Netzer added: "As FIFA's exclusive television partner, we are very happy to support FIFA's chosen charity; also the official charity campaign of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Our donation is linked to the enthusiasm of Germany's football fans and I hope that the joy and the fun of the World Cup will contribute to the happiness of the future inhabitants of the six new SOS Children's Villages."
 
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter also added: "We appreciate very much Infront's commitment to the '6 Villages for 2006' project. This reflects positively on the spirit of solidarity and positive working relationship that FIFA and its Partners have maintained with SOS Children's Villages since 1995".
 
For further information please contact:
Jörg Polzer
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16 
joerg.polzer@infrontsports.com

 
German Press Release: