Cup Organizers Question Berlin's Readiness
August 6, 2005
Preparations for the 2006 World Cup in the German capital are moving along but not fast enough to put organizing committee members at ease. They wanted some answers from city's mayor Klaus Wowereit on Friday.
In it's letter the World Cup Organizing Committee, led by German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, wanted to know about construction progress at the Schlossplatz, and Pariser Platz as well as how the Adidas mini-stadium planed to be set up in front of the Reichstag and spectator areas along the Spree River were coming along.
Berlin behind other host cities
Though the Organizing Committee pointed out that its letter dealt only with "questions" and not "complaints," in the midst of campaigning for Germany's early federal elections politicians in Berlin's opposition parties are using the opportunity to criticize the Social Democratic Party's organizational abilities.
"Huge construction sites now threaten the World Cup," Nicolas Zimmer, head of Berlin's Christian Democratic Union, told the newspaper Die Welt on Saturday. "While other host cities are obviously world-class, Berlin is playing in the amateur leagues."
Anything less than complete precision could have serious effects on the tournament, as some street and pipeline repairs are scheduled to conclude near the end of May, just two weeks before the World Cup kicks off on June 9.
Without referring to the state of Berlin's preparations and citing financial reasons, German public broadcaster ARD also announced last week it would broadcast from Cologne and not from a glass-walled studio close to the Brandenburg Gate as planners in Berlin hoped.
SPD optimistic and on schedule
But Berlin's government remains confident that the city will be ready for the thousands of international fans expected to descend on the city during the World Cup finals next summer.
"All of the points raised in the letter have been deal with," Berlin's government spokesperson Michael Donnermeyer said. "We are working right according to schedule."