2006FIFA World Cup - Germany - First Day Cover

Romfilatelia, the company specialized in issuing and trading Romanian postage stamps, introduces into circulation a postage stamp issue dedicated to the Football World Championship (FIFA World Cup – Germany 2006) which will take place this year, between the 9th of June and the 9th of July.

Between 1930 and 1970, the stake of the final tournaments of the Football World Championships was the “Jules Rimet Cup”, called by the name of the president of FIFA, Jules Rimet, who had the idea of creating a competition between the best football national teams of the world. Also known as the “Golden Goddess”, the “Jules Rimet Cup” was created by the French sculptor Abel la Fleur. In 1970, Brazil definitively gained possession of the trophy made of massive gold, fitted on a rare stones base, after its third final success. In 1983, after the theft of the “Golden Goddess”, the Brazilian Football Federation replaced it with a duplicate.

Starting with 1974, the awarded trophy has been the “FIFA World Cup”, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga. The current trophy was selected out of fifty models. The international football champions are awarded a true work of art, made of gold.

Under this new look, the “World Cup” was conquered, for the first time, by the West-German representative team, which defeated Holland in the final game of the World Championship of 1974 with the score of 2-1. So that the trophy may remain safe, the winning teams received only a gold-plated copy of the cup, while the original remains in the custody of the International Football Federation, at the headquarters of F.I.F.A. in Zurich.

The meetings between the teams qualified for the Football World Championship of Germany will take place in 12 cities, and the final game will take place in Berlin, on the 9th of July. Thirty two national football teams from all the continents will participate.

The philatelic issue contains four postage stamps:

- the postage stamp having the face value of Lei 0.30 shows an image suggesting the atmosphere in the tribunes during football games;

- the postage stamp having the face value of Lei 0.50 shows a scoring goal;

- the postage stamp having the face value of Lei 1.00 illustrates a football player during the game;

- the postage stamp having the face value of Lei 1.20 depicts the cup raised in a triumphant gesture.