World Cup gala head demands FIFA apology

The man who was to direct the multi-million World Cup gala, which was cancelled in acrimonious circumstances, demanded an apology from football world governing body FIFA on Saturday.

Andre Heller, the Austrian who was to direct the 90-minute show in Berlin's Olympic Stadium on June 7, two days before the start of the World Cup, said the decisio to call off the extravaganza had caused a public outcry.

"It is necessary to be noble vis-a-vis the artists who were to take part in the gala and FIFA should send them a letter," Heller told NDR radio. "I can't be the only one to do it and say sorry to those poor people for something for which I was not responsible."

FIFA said Friday they had cancelled the event, which was to feature a host of stars as well as 7,000 volunteers, because they were concerned about the effects on the pitch. But Saturday's Berliner Zeitung said the reason was purely financial. It claimed that FIFA had allocated a 25-million euro budget which had been exceeded. Others believe that FIFA and Heller had fallen out.

The gala was to feature music by Peter Gabriel and choreography by France's Philippe Découflé, who was responsible for the opening ceremony of the 1992 winter Olympics in Albertville. A total of 132 former World Cup stars were also to have been involved including Argentina's hero Diego Maradona and Brazil's three-time victor Pele.

Slow ticket sales, which were priced at between 100-750 euros, were also blamed for the cancellation of the event. Friday's developments came just three days after serious question marks were raised over stadium security. "I can understand a little why the gala was cancelled," added Heller on Saturday. "But I don't understand why the decision was taken now."