HAMBURG - German football fans will be able to drink their home brew at the 2006 World Cup despite exclusive rights granted to the US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch, the organising committee (OK 2006) said on Tuesday.
OK vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach confirmed a report from the Bild daily that Germany,s Bitburger brewery had reached a deal with official World Cup sponsors Anheuser-Busch, the US brewing giants.
Bitburger will supply beer to fans at the 2005 Confederations Cup and the 2006 World Cup. In return, Anheuser-Busch was granted the right to advertise their Budweiser (Bud) brand in German football stadiums.
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Anheuser-Busch initially bought the exclusive 2006 World Cup rights for beer for 40 million dollars from the world governing football body FIFA. The prospect of American beer instead of a (stronger) German brew had infuriated German fans and brewers. The deal announced Tuesday comes a few weeks after the German Wine Institute signed a contract with FIFA about the exclusive sale of German wines at the 9 June to 9 July 2006, World Cup.
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