Penalty Spot To Be Preserved

The penalty spot where John Aloisi scored from that sent Australia to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany next year, was yesterday dug up to be preserved and later auctioned off.

The penalty spot where John Aloisi scored from that sent Australia to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany next year, was yesterday dug up to be preserved and later auctioned off.   The moment Aloisi scored the decisive penalty that edged Australia past Uruguay in the dramatic play-off, will be forever remembered in Australian sporting history.    Telstra Stadium for only the third time, has dug up a piece of its hallowed turf for prosperity sake, with the penalty spot following on from the spot where Toutai Kefu's scored to win the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand, plus the spot where Johnny Wilkinson won the 2003 Rugby World Cup for England. Officials will dry-freeze and treat the cut out penalty spot, before encasing it in class.

They have valued it at $100,000 and will be auctioned off at a corporate dinner in February that will be hosted by Chairman of the 2006 World Cup organising committee, Germany great Franz Beckenbauer.

Telstra Stadium then plan to donate the proceeds to the Johnny Warren Football Foundation and would like to successful bidder to allow the case to be put on public display at the stadium.

Present at the grass cutting ceremony were 1974 World Cup squad members John Watkiss and Jim Fraser, with Watkiss given the honour of taking the last kick from the penalty spot before it was dug up.