The Women’s World Cup in the New Zealand metropolis of Auckland opened just a few hours before the impact of a shootout that left several dead and injured.
A short show in Eden Park focused on the indigenous peoples of the host countries New Zealand and Australia before the World Cup trophy was brought into the stadium and shortly afterwards the tournament officially started with 32 teams for the first time.
Minutes of silence after bloody deed
After the bloody deed of a lone perpetrator, the world governing body FIFA quickly decided that there would be a minute’s silence at the games on Thursday to commemorate the victims. This initially applied to the opening game between co-hosts New Zealand and Norway and the following encounter between co-hosts Australia and Ireland (12.00 CEST).
A gunman opened fire at a construction site in Auckland, killing at least two people. The shooter himself was also dead, police said. The incident has nothing to do with the World Cup, said New Zealand’s Sports Minister Grant Robertson. The attack happened in the city’s business center, not far from the fan base. Out of respect for the victims, the fan area will only open one day later on Friday.
The German team headed by national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will start the tournament against Morocco in Melbourne on Monday (10.30 a.m. CEST/ZDF). Other group opponents are Colombia and South Korea. One year after reaching the European Championship final, the German team wants to secure the World Cup title for the third time after 2003 and 2007. The final will be held in Sydney on August 20th.
