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BERLIN: One person was conspicuous by his absence from the podium when Italy's players received their winners' medals and German President Horst Koehler handed their captain Fabio Cannavaro the World Cup.
The president of football's world controlling body FIFA Joseph Blatter was not among the host of dignitaries present at the award ceremony after the dramatic 5-3 penalty shootout win over France.
The president of the local organising committee Franz Beckenbauer was there as was the president of Europe's controlling body UEFA, Lennart Johansson, but there was no sign of Blatter.
Beckenbauer in fact presented the medals to the Italians, while the players grabbed the trophy after it was handed over by the German president.
But in all of this Blatter was missing - as he was when the runners-up received their medals from Beckenbauer.
A spokesman for the local organising committee said that as far as he knew, Blatter was going to be present when the cup was handed over.
"I have no idea why he was not there," he said. "This morning we were given the programme and he was mentioned. I do not know why this changed."
In the run-up to the tournament FIFA and the German organising committee had been involved in a controversy over the list of speakers at the opening, with FIFA being accused of wanting to prevent Beckenbauer from speaking.
Blatter has not always been popular among German football fans and last year was booed in the stadiums during the Confederations Cup.
