The Kaiser Gets the Keys to Quito

German legend Franz Beckenbauer has been given the Keys to the City of Quito. Beckenbauer is touring Ecuador and other World Cup countries in hopes of drumming up even more interest and support for Germany 2006. While in Quito—and later Guayaquil—Beckenbauer made all the rounds, met with all the requisite stuffed shirts and muckity-mucks and generally made nice in a diplomatic snooze-trip sort of way.

Although Beckenbauer, as mentioned, is touring the countries of several of the Cup participants, the visit to Ecuador stands out for one major reason: Germany and Ecuador are in the same qualifying group, and will meet on June 20 in Berlin. I happen to know a couple of Ecuadorian ex-pats who live in Berlin, but the Germans might still be expected to have a wee bit of a home-field advantage on that day.

Beckenbauer was accompanied on this trip by Karl Heinz Laudenbach, the mayor of Bad Kissingen, the German burg that will host the Ecuadorian selection this summer. We’re letting you know this so if the front desk ‘forgets’ to place requested wake-up calls on match days this summer, you won’t be surprised.

Beckenbauer, ever the evenhanded globetrotter, told the crowd gathered in Quito that he hoped that Ecuador would advance out of Group A to the knock-out stages along with Germany. Oh, Kaiser…I bet you say that to all the boys.