Original 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM) Football Auctioned
Johannesburg – A leading solar energy company and one of the world’s largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers,Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, has auctioned off an original football signed by the world’s best football players, to Wirsol Solar AG for 21,000 euros. The proceeds will help to fund “20 Centres for 2010,” which is part of the Football for Hope movement and the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM).
The creme de la creme, including Kaka, Ronaldo and Messi have been immortalised through their names on an original 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM) football. The ball has travelled all around the world collecting what makes it so valuable — the autographs of 11 of the world’s best players. It is impossible to estimate the ball’s intangible value, but at least the auction established what it is worth in monetary terms. The founders of Wirsol Solar AG won the ball
with their bid of 21,000 euros at an auction organised by FIFA World Cup(TM) sponsor Yingli Solar.
The proceeds from the auction will go to Football for Hope, a movement that uses the power of the game for positive social change. It is led by FIFA, the world football governing body, and streetfootballworld. “20 Centres for 2010” is part of the Football for Hope movement and
the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM). The aim is to achieve positive social change by combining the love of football with programmes reaching out to young people and addressing challenges with education and public health programmes.
20 centres are being built in structurally weak regions in Africa and will remain as a social legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM) long after the tournament is over. Yingli Green Energy will actively support the campaign by providing solar power to training centres across Africa. Social responsibility is an important pillar of Yingli Green Energy’s core values. The company is engaged in a variety of community-focused projects around the world — aiming to make solar power a sustainable and cost-effective energy for the world.
“This football is a wonderful symbol of the values our company stands for,” said Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. “In the solar industry, too, it is all about the best players reaching a common goal by working as a team. That’s why
we’re very happy to team up with Wirsol,” Mr. Miao continued.
“We just thought it was a great idea that the world’s best football players have made this gesture towards supporting sustainable development projects in Africa,” commented Wirsol founder Markus Wirth. This is why he was pleased to have made the winning offer in the face of competition from quite a few other bidders at the Intersolar trade fair, where the ball was auctioned by the Company.
The auction’s proceeds were presented to Federico Addiechi, Head of FIFA’s Corporate Social Responsibility department, during a press conference in Johannesburg organised by Yingli Green Energy.
The dream team of the world’s greatest football players who signed the ball is made up as follows: Kaka (Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite), Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas Fernandez, Daniel Alves da Silva, John George Terry, Patrice Evra, Steven George Gerrard, Xavier Hernandez i Creus, Andres Iniesta Lujan, Fernando Torres and Lionel Andres Messi.
