Want to keep the World Cup at home? FIFA ready to play ball

Panaji: The FIFA World Cup trophy remains the most coveted piece of silverware in world sports.
Held once every four years, only a select group of elite players lay their hands on the trophy. It includes some of football’s greatest icons. There’s Pele, Bobby Moore, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Lothar Matthaus, Andres Iniesta and most-recently Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to a famous triumph at Qatar 2022.
Now, even fans have the chance to lift the trophy high above their heads and keep a piece of history at home. Of course, for a price.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the most recent FIFA World Cup Trophy (1974-2024), the governing body for football, has come up with limited-edition, solid-gold official trophy replicas.
“The 50th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Replica is part of the FIFA Classics licensing programme,” a FIFA spokesperson told TOI on Monday.
FIFA has positioned the gold trophy replica as a valuable collectible piece and it can be acquired only through invitation.
“These are exclusive trophies, a piece of football history,” said Donn S. Kabiraj, CEO and founder of Donn Corporation, the Indian company that acts as the promoter and distributor for the trophies. “Each of the trophies is crafted from 1kg of 24-karat .999 pure gold. There are just 11 pieces available worldwide, so only a select few can get lucky.”
Kabiraj, whose company is headquartered in Chennai, has been spreading the word through his network of contacts and has been pleasantly surprised with the response.
“There’s interest from elite collectors, football clubs, celebrities, football fans from across the globe. Countries like UK, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA and Spain are in the forefront,” he said.
India is not too far behind. “Here, so far, the major demand has come from Mumbai, Kerala, Delhi and Bengaluru,” said Kabiraj.
The 50th Anniversary FIFA World Cup Trophy Replica carries a certificate of authenticity, signed by FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and Richard Borek, managing director of FIFA Issuing Authority.
Besides India, Donn Corporation has also got the exclusive rights for all countries in the West Asia.
“I can list several reasons why there’s so much of interest in these trophies. The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate symbol of pride for a sports fan. This has historical significance too since it’s the trophy’s 50th anniversary. High net-worth fans can keep this at home, clubs can have it as a major attraction,” said Kabiraj, adding that his company is the official and sole point of contact.
After Brazil won the World Cup for the third time in 1970, they were allowed to keep the original trophy, as per the wishes of FIFA's longest serving president Jules Rimet, after whom the trophy was named. A new trophy was commissioned for the next World Cup in Germany, four years later.
The trophy design expresses the strength and pureness of the competitive spirit with the shapes of two athletes reproduced in the excitement of the victory.