World Cup Host City Residents Told to Behave
June 2, 2006
Just hours after the German World Cup organizing committee sent out an advisory statement to German fans asking them to respect their pets this summer by not painting them in the national colors, a strange but believable letter began to drop through the letter boxes of houses across the city of Cologne.
Given FIFA's love of control and Germany's world famous affection for order, the letter has caused a raging debate across the city as to whether the World Cup's organizers have finally cracked under the pressure or that someone in the western German city is making a funny, yet poignant statement.
The letter contains a list of "suitable behavioral practices" that should be followed during the World Cup in the host city. Soccer fans are banned from displaying any products -- soccer-related or otherwise -- visible from the street if they are not produced by an official World Cup partner. The letter also advises supporters that the singing of unlicensed, unofficial songs will not be tolerated with a specified "control zone."
Unlicensed products banned from match days
This means that any unlicensed clothing, World Cup items, flags, towels and music being displayed, played or sung during World Cup games in the city will result in the offender being fined for breach of FIFA and World Cup 2006 copyright laws.
The letter and accompanying Web site, attributed to the "Cologne Organizing Committee of the 2006 FIFA World Cup", has caused such a stir in the city that the Cologne authorities have had to issue an official denial that they had anything to do with it.
"The originators of the letter and the operators of the Internet page want to unnerve the population and cast the World Cup in a negative light," the statement read. "The originators of the phony letter and the phony Internet page could face criminal consequences."
Seems like Cologners are safe to sing what they want after all.