SPORTS> Off the Pitch
Training sessions pull in the crowds
(FIFAworldcup.com)
Updated: 2006-06-02 11:23

The clock is ticking, the kick-off for Germany 2006 is drawing ever nearer and the 32 participants are arriving at their training camps to prepare for the impending global showdown. At least that is the theory.

Training sessions pull in the crowds

Every day, the crowds of enthusiastic fans flocking to the training grounds of the world's elite teams grow larger. The euphoria knows no bounds. Simple shooting drills, tactical sessions and 'five against two' games are being watched by bigger crowds than some top-flight matches.

For several days, Brazilian fans in the picturesque Swiss town of Weggis have contributed to an extraordinary series of events. Against the majestic backdrop of the Alps, around 10,000 fans have turned out to transform the world champions’ training sessions into Samba parties. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka and Co seem to appreciate the support, showing their gratitude by stopping to sign countless autographs before returning to the changing rooms.

Things are equally crazy in Wangen, a small German town of 21,000 that Togo have taken by storm. Since 15 May, the place has been decorated with as many red, yellow and green flags as it has German ones. The daily training sessions of the Togolese team, conducted by their German coach, Otto Pfister, have become almost municipal festivals.

Records broken in Dusseldorf

However, once again, it was the German national team who led the way. The host nation’s training session in Dusseldorf on Wednesday afternoon was watched by 40,000 fans, who had packed into the stadium just to see Jurgen Klinsmann put his team through their paces. Never before have Germany attracted such an enormous crowd just to see them train.

The phenomenon was particularly satisfying for the city, whose neighbouring town Cologne held the previous record. In the friendly rivalry between the two major cities on the Rhine, it was a case of David winning the bragging rights from Goliath - for the time being at least!

With crowds to watch training sessions, live broadcasts of Brazil plotting their route to the final from Weggis and African folk festivals in Wangen – the FIFA World Cup has arrived in Germany!