Part of original World Cup Trophy Stolen in 1983 Found in FIFA Basement

BY GRAHAM DUNBAR

AP Sports WriterJanuary 13, 2015 

ZURICH — A piece of the original World Cup trophy has been found and will be displayed in the new FIFA museum.

A staff member found the stone base of the Jules Rimet trophy last month in basement storage at FIFA headquarters, museum creative director David Ausseil said Tuesday.

"It's like finding an Egyptian mummy," Ausseil told The Associated Press. "You can't put a price tag on it because it's family jewels."

The base is a 10-centimeter (4-inch) tall, octagonal piece of blue semi-precious lapis lazuli stone, Ausseil said.

It carries the names of the first four World Cup winners: Uruguay and Italy each won twice between 1930 and 1950.

Ausseil said the trophy got a new base before the 1954 tournament, won by West Germany.

The gold statuette was permanently given to Brazil after winning its third title in 1970. It was stolen in 1983 and never recovered.

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