June 10, 2006	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1427

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ABIDJAN June 9: Shading from the sun under a canopy outside Ivory Coast's German embassy, anxious soccer fans queue for a visa to see their national team play their first ever World Cup finals match.

Many say they have paid upfront for flights which would take off within hours and for scarce hotel accommodation in Germany and they fear their dreams of watching the Elephants in action will soon be dashed.

“We're a bit stressed. We're waiting and we hope the answer will be positive,” said one civil servant from the Ivorian Ministry of Culture waiting for an answer for a visa application for himself and a colleague.

“We have to get there. If not today, then tomorrow,” he said, as street traders offered cold drinks and cut-price calls on their mobile phones to the crowd of a few dozen people.

Pressure has been building at the consular section of the embassy in the run-up to football's most important tournament, as fans turn up with last-minute visa requests, German ambassador to Ivory Coast, Rolf Ulrich, said.

Applicants must pay a 23,000 CFA franc ($44) fee which is non-refundable whether or not they get the visa.—Reuters