Historic FIFA World Cup Trophy arrives in SL tomorrow

The fourth FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour is scheduled to arrive in the city of Colombo on 23 January, giving Sri Lankan fans the chance to experience football’s most coveted prize.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola began its historic journey from Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium (Russia) on 9 September 2017.

The Russian leg of the FIFA Trophy Tour was officially launched when FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented President of Russia Vladimir Putin with the Trophy in the Host Nation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The global leg of this tour will feature Sri Lanka as the first international destination in its 51-country tour prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in June.

The arrival and viewing of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Sri Lanka will be hosted by Coca-Cola Sri Lanka in partnership with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and with support and guidance from the Ministry of Sports, Government of Sri Lanka. The Original Trophy will be in the country until the evening of 24 January and an exciting itinerary has been planned around the historic event.

The dedicated airplane carrying the trophy will arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport after which the Trophy will be brought to Colombo. Here, it will be officially unveiled by President Maithripala Sirisena in the presence of many dignitaries, MPs and VIPs.

Thereafter, on 24 January, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will preside over a public event at the BMICH where the Trophy will be displayed for 1,500 lucky fans to have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the coveted Trophy in person. The Trophy will then be taken to Maldives as the next destination of the tour itinerary.

“In the world of sports, no symbol stands stronger than the FIFA World Cup Trophy,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “Everyone recognises the significance of the Trophy as a unifying force. We are extremely happy to partner with Coca-Cola once again to bring the Trophy to football fans around the world.”

Announcing the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said: “It’s with great privilege and pride that the FIFA World Cup Trophy is arriving to Sri Lanka and the people of Sri Lanka are honoured by this opportunity. Sri Lanka being the first country to receive this trophy as the international destination out of 54 countries is a remarkable occasion for us and we have made every effort to make this event a memorable one for every single person in their lifetime. We as the government of Sri Lanka along with Football Federation of Sri Lanka consider this opportunity to be the game changer in Sri Lanka Football with great momentum among the public. We also launch our strategic plan - ‘Football Vision 2030’ in parallel to this event which takes the game to a new height in the country. I stand with pride to be the first Minister of Sports in the history of the country to receive the most iconic sporting symbol, the FIFA World Cup and thank President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga, Football Federation of Sri Lanka, Coca-Cola and all others who are behind the scene to make this event historic.”

FFSL President Anura de Silva added: “FIFA World Cup is the highest reward in the world for any footballer and hosting this most symbolic trophy in the country for the first time is an amazing experience in the life-time. I along with my Executive Committee and all football community stand committed to bring honour to our country through football at all times. I thank the Government of Sri Lanka, Minister of Sports and all institutions and persons for their priceless efforts to make this occasion a great success.”

Coca-Cola Vice President (South West Asia Operations) Debabrata Mukherjee said: “Coca-Cola is delighted to bring the energy and excitement of the world’s most loved football tournament to Sri Lanka and to be part of this memorable experience for fans to view the original Trophy in person! We thank the Football Federation of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Sports for their untiring efforts to make this event possible. To share the excitement and the joy with football fans of the nation, we would be giving away a ticket each to the first 100 fans who write to [email protected] with their names and contact details.”

In a tour spanning more than 126,000 kilometres, FIFA and Coca-Cola will take the iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy on its longest journey to-date. The route for the highly anticipated 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour will give more than one million people around the world the chance to experience football’s most coveted prize in their own communities.

The Coca-Cola Company has had a long-standing relationship with FIFA since 1976 and has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ since 1978. Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup™ since 1950 and is a long-time supporter of football at all levels. This is the fourth time that Coca-Cola and FIFA have come together to bring the Trophy Tour to the world.