Coca-Cola & FIFA

Pictured: Former Country Manager for Coca-Cola Norway, Karen Huffmann, flanked by Norwegian World Cup heroes Jan Åge Fjørtoft, Frode Grodås, Dan Eggen, Vidar Riseth and Kjetil Rekdal, successful coach Egil "Drillo" Olsen and commentator legend Arne Scheie. In addition, former World Cup winner Christian Karembeu donned the Norwegian national team jersey to join the match against youth players from Abildsø and Sørumsand afterwards (All photos: Bård Gudim)

The PR agency Salo Kommunikasjon assisted with the concept,

communication planning and PR implementation when FIFA's official World Cup trophy visited Norway for the first time.

As a setting for the visit, it was a natural choice to bring in people who have been connected to Norway's greatest World Cup experiences. An equally natural choice was to make the visit to our common football stronghold, Ullevål. It was none other than Egil "Drillo" Olsen who accompanied the trophy to Norway from its previous stop in Germany. He is the only Norwegian to have led a national team in the World Cup in recent times. And not just once, but in both 1994 and 1998. With him on the trip were some of the players who took part in the championships: Kjetil Rekdal (the man behind the legendary penalty in Marseille in -98), Jan Åge Fjørtoft and Vidar Riseth. Just before Easter, a plane from Coca-Cola landed at Gardermoen with the football personalities and FIFA's official World Cup trophy on board. The visit was carried out in collaboration with Coca-Cola, which has been an official partner of FIFA and the World Cups since 1974.

National team coaches and youth players with the FIFA trophy at Ullevål

Both Drillo and the players followed the World Cup trophy while it was in Norway. From Gardermoen the trip continued to Ullevål. On the way, it stopped at Lørenskog IF, so that the players and coaches there could catch a glimpse of the iconic trophy; to the delight and perhaps also inspiration of some of the young players.

At Ullevål, the World Cup trophy was presented to the public and press. The then national team coaches Lagerbäck and Drillo discussed past World Cup memories and expectations for the upcoming World Cup. Then the old World Cup heroes played against a youth team with boys from Abildsø and girls from Sørumsand.

The event ended with both players and the audience taking pictures with the trophy before it returned to the Coca-Cola plane at Gardermoen and began its journey to the next stop: the Faroe Islands.