Kolkata, Jan 15 (IANS) German football legend Lothar Matthaus unveiled Friday the Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Trophy 2010 at a glittering function here, making Kolkata the only Indian city to showcase the prized trophy.
The authentic trophy made of 18-carat gold, was unveiled in a five-star hotel in the presence of former Indian soccer greats and a host of leading soccer organisers of the country.

Among those who graced the occasion were former Olympians Sailen Manna, P.K. Banerjee, Samar Banerjee, Nikhil Nandy, and former internationals Prasun Banerjee and Subrata Bhattacharya.

The trophy - 36.8 cm high tall and weighing 6,175 grams - has a base containing two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.

The three-day extravaganza will witness an exclusive showcase of the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the Salt Lake Stadium Saturday.

On Sunday (Jan 17) at the stadium, German Football legend Lothar Matthaus would lift the trophy once again, reminding his fans in Kolkata about Germany’s historic World Cup win in 1990.

The tour will climax with an extravagant evening of music and entertainment featuring singing sensation Usha Utthup, followed by performances from Chandrabindoo, a leading Bangla band, and a concert by Euphoria, India’s well-known rock band.

West Bengal Sports Minister Kanti Ganguly, state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami and Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee were present, besides All India Football Federation (AIFF) vice-president Subrata Dutta and AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco.

As part of the celebrations, the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy winner Jharkhand were also felicitated by Matthaus.

Each player was awarded Rs.25,000 in cash, while the Jharkhand Football Association got Rs.1 lakh.

The trophy tour would cover 138,902 km - more than thrice the circumference of the earth - in 83 countries.