World War II explosive found near World Cup stadium

The media center near by the stadium set to host the World Cup final was evacuated Friday when a World War II bomb was found on the grounds. A gardener discovered suspicious device about 30 meters (yards) from the stadium, which will host the July 9 final. It was old German explosive.

Photo: World War II explosive found near World Cup stadium

The center was evacuated for about 1 1/2 hours while the fuse was removed, although a stadium spokesman said it had never posed a danger to those nearby. With the sun emerging during another unseasonably cold day in the German capital, journalists and officials staged impromptu games of soccer while they waited to return to work.

"Last week we had the winter, this week we have a bomb," stadium spokesman Hans-Georg Felder said. "In Berlin , it's never boring." Felder said such finds were not unusual in Berlin , which withstood sustained bombardment from Soviet and Allied troops before the official surrender of German troops in May 1945. The World Cup starts June 9, reports the AP.

N.U.