GEORGE NEWS - Thousands of excited Georgians queued for hours yesterday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the solid-gold Fifa World Cup Trophy when it was on show at the Civic Centre for only three hours.

Fans were truly in high spirits. Around every corner the sound of vuvuzelas and the lyrics of the South African National Anthem filled the air. Young and old celebrated together, dancing and singing.

"We can’t believe the trophy is here in George," said a group of fans. "We never thought we would get our chance to see it from up close!"

During the festivities at the civic centre, fans were treated to a 3D soccer movie before moving on to see the trophy. Ice-cold Coca-Colas brought welcome relief to throats, sore from all the singing.

During the trophy’s global tour, it travelled across the world in 225 days and was seen by millions of people in 86 countries. Its first stop was in Cairo, Egypt before it crisscrossed Africa, touching down in more than 50 capitals on the continent. It was in Cape Town briefly for the World Cup draw last year before continuing on its worldwide journey. The city of George was the trophy’s final destination.

Article: Tanya Watson
Photos: Michelle Pienaar and Tanya Watson

View more World Cup Trophy Tour photos on www.georgeherald.com.


Soccer fans of all ages descended on the Civic Centre on Tuesday to view the Fifa World Cup Trophy. Special glasses were handed out to fans to watch a five-minute 3D soccer movie. Allysia and Andrea Solomon (from left) and Fazila, Nadine and Nadia Pillay were part of the day’s action.