Brazilian legend to accompany Fifa World Cup to Nairobi

The Fifa World Cup trophy is set to land in Kenya on Thursday for a two-day tour as part of a continental trip. The trophy is the world’s most revered and desired crown in team sports. Coca-Cola in partnership with Fifa Tuesday announced the iconic trophy will be accompanied by former Brazil defender Juliano Belletti, who won the World Cup in 2002 with the sleek Selecao led by the then irresistible forward trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Belletti who also played for Chelsea and Barcelona is a trophy tour ambassador who will accompany the trophy in its Kenyan tour Thursday and Friday. “We are very excited to not only host the FIFA World Cup™ trophy but also one of the greatest footballers of all time and a football legend who played for key teams in Europe. Juliano is no doubt among the world-renowned players and football fans in Kenya can brace themselves for an experience of a lifetime when the trophy lands on the 26th of this month,” said Isabel Kariuki, Frontline Marketing Director, East and Central Africa Franchise. “By bringing Juliano Belletti here together with the Fifa World Cup trophy, we are hoping to inspire the next generation of footballers and hope that they can learn from his experience,” she added. The trophy will be presented to President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi Thursday. He is the only person in Kenya who will be allowed to hoist the trophy. In fact, according to Fifa, the original World Cup trophy can only be touched and held by a select group of people including former winners and heads of state. The public will get a chance to pose for a photo with the trophy at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Friday. Coca-Cola is giving away 3,000 tickets to consumers participating in the Fifa World Cup Buy and Win promotion where they will get a VIP viewing experience of the trophy at KICC. The famous trophy is made of solid gold and weighs 6.142kg. The trophy depicts two human figures holding the globe aloft. Its current design dates back to 1974. The 2022 Fifa World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. It will be the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East.