Germany: During 2006 World Cup finals, soccer fans will have to survive at the 64 matches to be played at the showpiece tournament without the country's most famous export -- German beer. "Germans are not exactly famous for their humour or their friendliness," Wolfgang Niersbach, vice-president of Germany's 2006 organising committee, told the foreign press association (VAP) in Berlin on Monday, November 15, according to Reuters.

What will definitely be missing in the World Cup stadiums, however, is German beer. A U.S. beermaker is one of the tournament's 15 sponsors and Niersbach confirmed local media reports that American beer -- and not the world-famous German variety -- will be on sale.

"I love German beer," he said. "But Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor and we have to respect and accept that. No German breweries were able to pay $40 million (21.7 million pounds) for that. But in town, outside the stadiums, there will be plenty of German beer."

Organisers expect their biggest headache when tickets go on sale in February, Niersbach added. Demand is likely to outstrip by far supply for matches in the 12 stadiums -- nine of which are soccer-only venues.

"We just won't be able to come close to satisfying the demand," he said of the 3.2 million tickets to be sold. "There just won't be enough tickets. It's one problem we can't solve."

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