June 5, 2006

P.  O.  BOX 343292,  BARTLETT,
TN 38184

ATTENTION:  NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS
EDITORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2006 ITSF WORLD CUP OF TABLE SOCCER

PROPELS ARCADE GAME TO TRUE
“SPORTS COMPETITION” STATUS

Hamburg, Germany Tournament Draws Top
“Foosball” Players from over 20 Countries

Hamburg – In a four day
roller coaster of intensely competitive and emotional match play, the
International Table Soccer Federation’s (ITSF) World Cup of Table Soccer
came to a close late at night on Sunday, May 28, 2006.  Held at the famed Fischauktionshalle in Hamburg, Germany,
about 200 of the world’s most elite “foosball” players
competed as part of a 20-nation team playoff for the World Cup title.  In all, over a thousand spectators and
millions of TV viewers witnessed a weekend full of twists, surprises and upsets
as each of the world’s top-ranked teams fell to highly charged and
aggressive challengers.

Each nation, having selected eight to ten of their country’s best
players, competed in a combination of doubles and singles events for both men
and women.  In a true test of all
around foosball skills, competition took place on five different ITSF
“Official” styles of tables: Tornado Table Soccer™, Bonzini™, Garlando, EuroSoccer, and
Roberto-Sport, with Tornado having been selected as “home” table by
the majority of the nations competing.

Highlights of the weekend
included the upset of Belgium,
whose team included world #1-ranked Frederico Collignon of Liege,
Belgium, by host country Germany and the further upset of Germany in the final by Austria.  Other features included a demonstration
challenge match between the Chinese National Juniors Team and Germany’s Junior Team, with Germany edging out China for the honors.  But the match of the weekend was surely
that between the United States
and France.  In a grueling four and a half hour
foosball marathon, the United States fought all the way back from a four games
to one deficit, and in a final deciding game went into a sudden death playoff,
with each team going point for point until finally the French broke serve and
converted their advantage with another point to win.  Regardless of outcome, the match was simply
stunning -- the intensity, resolve, concentration, professionalism, phenomenal
skill and the unmatched unity demonstrated by the American team; the undivided
and emotionally involved attention of a packed, standing room only audience;
and an opponent that was absolutely and obsessively determined to win -- it was
incredible. Even more amazing, all of this was for the World Cup title only: the pride of team and
country, and being the best that that represents.  Said U.S. team player Dave Gummeson afterwards,
“I’ve played foosball for thousands of dollars in countless U.S. and World
Championships, but I’ve never, ever fought so hard for every single point
as I did today.”
Indeed, many spectators described it as “the
greatest match ever.”

With promotions tied
directly into the upcoming FIFA World Cup of Soccer, also hosted in Hamburg, over 60
television and other news media covered the tournament throughout the
weekend.  Sponsors of the event
included Carlsberg Brewery, Argo Personal, Sportstadt Hamburg, Fabula-Film and
the DEHOGA Hamburg hotel and restaurant association, while sponsors of the U.S.
National Foosball Team are Nike™,
Brunswick’s Tornado Table Soccer™, Bonzini™ USA, Tornello Enterprises, Foosball.com,
Rod-lock.com and TTR MasterWraps.

Other ITSF 2006 World Tour events are scheduled to take place in
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland,
South Africa, United States, the UK and more.  In fact, this year’s tour will be
the largest worldwide table soccer pro tour ever!!

For additional details about the event and the sport of table soccer,
please see the following websites:

www.tischfussball-wm-2006.de/eng_teams.html - Official World Cup of Table Soccer
Results/website

www.table-soccer.org
-
ITSF web site/international rankings

www.foosball.com/ustsf
-
Official U.S. Table Soccer Federation website

www.foosball.com                                            -
General information about the sport of table soccer

For more information, photos, or for an electronic
version of this release, please contact:

Larry Davis, Executive Director, USTSF, Tel: 1-563-580-9485; Email: [email-masked]

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