The vice-president of the German organising committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, admitted that the videos shown in the stadium monitors for the last 12 minutes before kick-off during World Cup matches are spoiling the festive atmosphere the fans are creating.

Niersback said he agreed that the videos shown are having a negative effect on the fans in the stadium, but said that because it has taken too long for the production of these videos, it was now impossible to alter them for the rest of the tournament.

Avoiding to mention the sponsorship deals FIFA has done with the sponsors featured there as being the real reason why the videos can not change, Niersback said that "There has been a pre-match programme worked out to the second for the final 12 minutes before the match starts..."

"It contains announcements, information about the teams, the countries playing in the match and so on. But it does change the atmosphere in the stadium."

"After the match for example, when the players are celebrating a victory with their fans, is not the time loud music should be playing..."

"We need some sensitive producers in the stadium to have a 'fingertip' feeling of what should be coming out over the stadium loudspeakers and when," Niersback added.

Markus Siegler, the Director of Communications at FIFA, said that it was too late to make changes, adding that "We are constantly reviewing all aspects of the organisation and if we can possibly have a look at this we will," technically leaving any decisions on the matter for the World Cup 2010 organisers in South Africa (*).

"Isn't that too little too late?" asks one unhappy fan who paid hundreds of pounds (sterling) for a ticket to see the England v Paraguay match.

The German organising committee does not have a big say on FIFA's lucrative sponsorship deals which as for a country to host the World Cup tournament, it must agree to all of FIFA's terms, hence Wolfgang Niersbach being not relevant to the issue.

(*) Conclusion made by the author of this story.

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