Friday, December 29, 2006
World player of the year
Fifa has been forced to issue a statement denying that Zinedine Zidane was the real winner of the world player of the year award. Spanish newspaper Marca reported that following a vote recount, the prize would go to Zidane instead of Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro.
The report was published on Marca's website, prompting a Norwegian journalist as well as what Fifa described as "an assortment of international media" to call its press office.
However, it quickly emerged that the story was Spain's equivalent of an "April Fool". Spain and Latin America celebrate "Dia de los Santos Inocentes" on 28 December, a day on which people can traditionally carry out pranks without fear of reprisal.
The report was published on Marca's website, prompting a Norwegian journalist as well as what Fifa described as "an assortment of international media" to call its press office.
However, it quickly emerged that the story was Spain's equivalent of an "April Fool". Spain and Latin America celebrate "Dia de los Santos Inocentes" on 28 December, a day on which people can traditionally carry out pranks without fear of reprisal.
