FIFI Wild Cup explained

Tourney Name:FIFI Wild Cup
Year:2006
Country:Republic of St. Pauli (official)
Germany (location)
Dates:29 May–3 June
Num Teams:6
Venues:1
Cities:1
Champion:Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Count:1
Second:Zanzibar
Third:Gibraltar
Fourth Other:Republic of St. Pauli
Matches:10
Goals:33

The FIFI Wild Cup was an alternative to the FIFA World Cup, held from May 29 to June 3, 2006 in Hamburg, Germany, prior to the official FIFA World Cup which started one week later. It was run by the Federation of International Football Independents (FIFI).

FIFI was a body composed of countries not recognized at the time by FIFA and those whose logistics or political disputes prevented them from playing representative football.[1] The Millerntor-Stadion in Hamburg hosted all the tournament matches.[2] The tournament was sponsored by a German online gambling consortium called myBet, as well as Goool.de Sportswear GmbH, who paid a combined €750,000 to fund the tournament. The tournament had 2 mascots, Schäfer and Schmitz. Media patronage was provided by TV stations DSF and ProSieben. The tournament was organized by Essen Agencies, Carat Sponsorship GmbH, and Western Star GmbH.

According to organizer Jorg Pommeranz, FIFI had to overcome various obstacles, such as China and FIFA applying pressure to exclude Tibet, and difficulties for players representing Northern Cyprus obtaining visas to enter Germany.[3]

The tournament winners were the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Spectator attendance was reported as “relatively weak”, with an average of 400 fans per match, although this could have been affected by poor weather. Consequently, a second edition of the tournament was deemed to be unlikely, although they considered a 2010 edition to be hosted by Greenland.[4]

Participants

Monaco was invited but withdrew before the tournament began.[7]

Group stage

Group A

width=175 Teamwidth=20 abbr="Points" Ptswidth=20 abbr="Played" Pldwidth=20 abbr="Won" Wwidth=20 abbr="Drawn" Dwidth=20 abbr="Lost" Lwidth=20 abbr="Goals for" GFwidth=20 abbr="Goals against" GAwidth=20 abbr="Goal difference" GD
Republic of St. Pauli4211081+7
4211061+5
02002012−12

--------

Group B

width=175 Teamwidth=20 abbr="Points" Ptswidth=20 abbr="Played" Pldwidth=20 abbr="Won" Wwidth=20 abbr="Drawn" Dwidth=20 abbr="Lost" Lwidth=20 abbr="Goals for" GFwidth=20 abbr="Goals against" GAwidth=20 abbr="Goal difference" GD
6220041+3
32101550
0200225−3

--------

Knockout stage

Semi-finals

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Final

Goalscorers

Note: Some goalscorers from Gibraltar and Republic of St. Pauli are not listed because there is not enough information on those games.

4 Goals
3 Goals
2 Goals
1 Goal
Own goals

Final Standings

!Team!Rank!Pld!W!D!L!GF!GA!GD!Win %
Northern Cyprus144006151.000
Zanzibar24202761.500
Gibraltar34211844.625
Republic of St. Pauli441121055.375
Greenland5200225-3.000
Tibet62002012-12.000

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Also-rans find World of own. New York Daily News. 4 June 2006. 4 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Willkommen beim FIFI Wild Cup 2006. wild-cup.de. 4 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20060615063330/http://www.wild-cup.de/. 15 June 2006. 15 June 2006. dead.
  3. Web site: Filip Bondy: Also-rans find World of own. New York Daily News. 21 June 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060621144624/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/423444p-357365c.html. 21 June 2006.
  4. Web site: Nordzypern feiert ausgelassen Triumph beim "Fifi Wild Cup". welt.de. 22 December 2013. de. 6 June 2006.
  5. News: Gibraltar given full Uefa membership at London Congress. www.bbc.co.uk. 24 May 2013. 4 September 2021.
  6. News: Fifa: Kosovo and Gibraltar become members of world governing body. www.bbc.co.uk. 13 May 2016. 4 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Lawry . Charlie . 2018-02-14 . Defying FIFA: When 5 outcast nations competed in the 2006 Wild Cup . 2024-01-04 . Planet Football . en.