The Hoax That Brought the [Soccer]World Cup to Germany

[Kellanved]

Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humor? Five months before they host the World Cup, the editor of satirical magazine Titanic is reminding his countryfolk that it was he who brought the tournament to the Fatherland with a hoax bribe of a few sausages and a cuckoo clock.

The claim seems far-fetched, but it has credibility. In July 2000, on the eve of the key vote by the FIFA world football federation on the venue of the 2006 World Cup, Martin Sonneborn and his staff at the German satirical magazine Titanic decided to play a prank to liven the proceedings up. Now, he is reminding his fellow Germans that the magazine can be thanked for bringing the World Cup to Germany.

"We thought that the way things were going we would never get the World Cup to Germany so I had the idea of sending off a few bribery faxes," said Sonneborn, who has written a book about the affair bearing the proud title "I Did It For My Country."

The faxes, sent to seven FIFA committee members at a luxury Zurich hotel, offered them "a fine basket with specialities from the black forest, including some really good sausages, ham and -- hold on to your seat -- a wonderful KuKuClock! And a beer mug, too? Do we leave you any choice???" All they had to do was vote for Germany.
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