President Kenyatta on Thursday received the 18-carat gold FIFA World Cup trophy which is on a two-day tour of Kenya ahead of this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The trophy was handed to the president at State House, Nairobi by legendary Brazilian footballer Juliano Belleti, a World Cup-winning defender, who is accompanying it on the tour.
“The FIFA World Cup remains the greatest sporting extravaganza in the world. From big cities to sleepy villages, the tournament is followed in every nation by enthusiastic fans from all segments of society. It is, therefore, a moment of great privilege and profound honor for Kenya as we officially receive the FIFA World Cup Trophy on behalf of our nation,” Kenyatta said.
The trophy will be on display at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) for public viewing and photo session on Friday.
Kenya is among the few African countries selected to host the trophy ahead of the World Cup competition scheduled for November 21st through December 18th.
The FIFA World Cup trophy, which is made of 18-karat solid gold with two rings of malachite inlaid in the base, stands 36.8 centimeters high and weighs 6.1 kilograms. It was made by Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni company in Italy and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth.
This will be the fourth time the Sh1billion gold trophy is coming to Kenya. The trophy made a similar stop in Kenya ahead of the 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cup competitions in South Africa, Brazil, and Russia respectively.
Just like in 2018, only President Kenyatta will be allowed to hold the trophy. FIFA rules state that only a country’s sitting president and players who were part of the World Cup-winning team can hold the trophy.
