World Cup Trophy Broken During Celebration In Germany
The World Cup trophy now has more chinks than the German national team’s defense.
The vaunted trophy was reportedly damaged during a celebration in Berlin. According to Wolfgang Niersbach, the president of the German Football Association, the World Cup trophy lost a small piece at some point during the days of celebration.
Niersbach said the German players were questioned, but none knew about the damage — or at least weren’t willing to fess up.
“At one point, a small piece of our World Cup trophy was chipped off,” Niersbach told the German newspaper Die Welt. “But do not worry, we have specialists on the case who can fix it. We have investigated persistently who it was that damaged the trophy, but the investigation was concluded without a result.”
The German team plowed through all competitors at the 2014 World Cup, trouncing home nation Brazil 7-1 and finishing off Argentina in extra time to take home the title.
This isn’t the first interesting bit of history for the World Cup trophy. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, there have actually been two trophies used. The first, known as the Jules Rimey Trophy, was used from the start of the World Cup to 1970, when Brazil won it outright.
The whereabouts of this trophy have been a mystery for more than 30 years. In 1983 the trophy was stolen and has never been recovered.
The newest trophy, officially called the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was introduced in 1974. It is made from 18 karat gold, standing about 14 inches high and weighing about 13 pounds. The trophy itself two human figures holding up the Earth.
The World Cup trophy has an estimated value of $10 million, but soccer fans worried about the status of the sport’s most important trophy can breathe a bit easier. The trophy damaged during celebrations in Germany was just a replica.
